Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Kilbirnie Ladeside


fullname = Kilbirnie Ladeside Football Club
nickname = The Blasties
founded = 1901
ground = Valefield Park,
Kilbirnie
capacity = 3000
chairman =
manager =
league = SJFA West Division One
position =
season =
shirtsupplier=
shirtsponsors =
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Kilbirnie Ladeside nicknamed (The Blasties, often said to come from the blast furnaces at the steel works situated in the town, but the real nickname came from long before this, from a poem 'The Inventory' by Robert Burns - My furr-ahin 's a wordy beast, As e'er in tug or tow was traced. The fourth's a Highland Donald hastie, A damn'd red-wud Kilburnie blastie! R.G.) are a Scottish junior football club, from Kilbirnie, A small town in North Ayrshire. They were formed in 1901 and have a long and successful history, although less so in recent years. However the future looks bright for Ladeside with a side gradually merging into a team with a good blend of youth and experience. Although they don't have the same financial clout as some other clubs. They have a well organised and hard working committee, an enthusiastic supporters club who have belief that they can bring back some "Major" success to a club with a long and proud history. Based at Valefield Park on Kirkland road [http://eteamz.active.com/atfc/images/valefield.jpg] , they currently compete in the Western Region Junior League and have a realistic chance of promotion. Kilbirnie Ladeside play in amber and black stripes.

Club Ground

Ladeside Park, on Mill Road, was The Blasties original home (photograph here is of Kilbirnie public park) [http://www.kilbirnie.uk.net/new_pa5.jpg] , however during the second world war the ground had been partly built on by the army and it was decided that they move to Glengarnock Vale's Park, Valefield and play their home games there. Glengarnock Vale are no longer a club and Valefield Park is the home of Kilbirnie Ladeside. In recent years it has under gone some refurbishment and is now considered one of the league's best grounds Fact|date=April 2008. It is located just 4-5 minutes from the town centre on Kirkland road across from the Auld Kirk [http://www.stbrigids-kilbirnie.com/Media%20New/Kilbirnie-New/kilx-32.jpg] , one of Kilbirne's oldest and most treasured landmarks. Although the ground is small it can comfortably hold up to six hundred spectators. On the north-west side there are two main stands which were both constructed at the start of the new millennium. The ground has around four main turnstiles, 2 of which are located on Kirkland road. There is a small snack bar offering a wide range of hot and cold food, male and female toilets and both home and away dressing rooms with warm showers. There is also a bar located on the south east corner welcoming both home and away support. The average attendance is around two hundred (varying for cup games) so there is normally a good atmosphere.

Notable Players

*Paul Maguire

Club records and facts

* Valefield park was originally home of Glengarnock Vale
* Kilbirnie Ladeside are believed to have had the first Scottish Junior club website http://www.ladeside.co.uk/
* The only trophy won by the Kilbirnie side in the 50's was in 58/59 when they won the Land of Burns cup and the Scottish Junior Cup in 51/52
* The mid fifties to the late sixties were poor times for the Valefield Club. Indeed there was a crisis which almost sunk the club in 1964 when they had no money, poor organisation and subsequently little support.Four men were instrumental in preventing the demise of Ladeside; they were Henry Speirs, David Beattie, Bobby Jones and Bobby Davidson, who took a good juvenile team, The Strand to Valefield. With Bobby "Sconie" Davidson as team manager they built a team to be feared. In the first year they sold a young goalkeeper, Ernie McGarr, to Aberdeen and McGarr was to play for Scotland.

It was another two seasons before Ladeside cheered their supporters again by winning the I & D Cup in 1966/67. The Western League was contested for the last time in season 67/68 and Ladeside won it. There first league championship since 1952. They followed this in 69/70 with success in the Ayrshire District Cup, which replaced the Irvine & District Cup.Kilbirnie teams were now famed for playing exciting attacking football. By the 70s Davidson was not far away from creating the ideal side. During this period another fine goalkeeper, Alan McCulloch played with Kilbirnie and he went on to be a regular in the Kilmarnock first team.In 71/72 Cumnock became the first south team to win the Ayrshire League when they beat Kilbirnie in the decider. They were also beaten in the West of Scotland Cup final but gained compensation by taking the Ayrshire Cup which they had last won in its original form in 1948. In 73/74 Ladeside who have always had one of Ayrshire's most vociferous and active supports landed in trouble with the Scottish Junior Football association. Following trouble at Valefield Park in a Scottish Junior Cup tie they were ordered to display warning posters at the ground for the season, to stop rowdyism.In the same season Ladeside played away to Dundee Osborne in the Scottish Cup and with 14 minutes to play Davie Clark jumped up and swung on the crossbar. It broke, the game was held up for 10 minutes as the Dundee officials made a haphazard repair to the goal. The game was played out, ending 2-1. Kilbirnie protested that the crossbar was not repaired properly but the SJFA turned the protest down. In season 74/75 they powered their way to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. Their blend of youth, strength and skill seemed capable of taking them to the final but the team played badly on the night and lost the semi-final at Rugby Park Kilmarnock 3-2 after holding the lead for most of the tie against Rutherglen Glencairn. Four of the young Kilbirnie players went senior. Jim Fleeting went to Norwich City, Ian Baillie to Celtic and both John McCool and Graham Kane to Notts County. They also had the experienced Ada McLaughlin who had been a vital factor in the Irvine Meadow cup winning team of 1973.Ladeside had the consolation of winning the Ayrshire Drybrough Cup. The Scottish Junior International side toured West Germany this season and Ladeside's midfielder Tom McGill was in the squad.

In season 75/76 Kilbirnie were warned by the Ayrshire Regional Committee about their difference of opinion with Ardrossan Winton Rovers who also received a warning. The trouble developed out of arguments about the rival supporters whenever The teams met. It came to a head at Winton park in a Jackie Scarlett Cup tie in 1975 when Kilbirnie claimed their supporters were not allowed in to the stand at the ground. Kilbirnie also complained that Winton, as host club, did not provide tea for them as usual.

Almost every year for 30 years there was a move in the Ayrshire Football for promotion and relegation. Once again this year it was proposed and was successful. Kilbirnie Ladeside led the opposition to it and their team manager Bobby Davidson attended the meeting in person to argue that only the top clubs would benefit and that most clubs would lose money from travelling expenses. Ironically Ladeside were the final league champions in the North/South format.The Ladeside faithful felt sure that 1976 was to be their year when they marched right back to the last four in the Scottish Cup. In an all Ayrshire clash at Rugby park, Darvel beat them 2-1.Kilbirnie's star player this season was Paul McGuire who went on to play for Shrewsbury and Stoke City.The following season, which was exactly 25 years after winning the Scottish cup, Ladeside strode the Hampden Park turf again to recapture the famous trophy. Earlier in the season, though they produced history in the Scarlett Cup when their goalkeeper, Jim Marner, who was also there penalty taker, scored a hat trick in a 6-1 defeat of deadly rivals Beith. In the Premier competition a first round bye was followed by a home match and a 3-0 win over Johnstone Burgh. There was a massive Derby encounter in round 3 with Ladeside beating Beith 3-1 at Bellsdale.There was sweet revenge in the 4th round when Darvel were overwhelmed 6-0 at their home ground. Round 5 produced an easy 5-0 victory against Winton Rovers. The Quarter final against Petershill was played at Valefield in front of a crowd of 4,000. Petershill dominated the game and Marner in the Kilbirnie goal was superb, pulling off save after save. With 4 minutes remaining little winger Bobby Davidson produced a wonder goal beating 4 players and the goalie before coolly slotting home the winner.

Rugby Park had become a home from home in recent seasons and so it was back there for the semi-final against Central League Lesmahagow. After a nervous 1-1 draw in which Davidson once again scored a very late goal, Kilbirnie finally made the breakthrough with a 1-0 win in the replay, Ada McLaughlin scoring the only goal of the game.Pre-match nerves saw Kilbirnie lose two games in a row after the semi-final but the final was to be very special. At first Kirkintilloch Rob Roy seemed to be in the ascendancy with Taylor getting a 6th minute goal. However the first ever-live coverage of a junior cup final showed how Davidson and Harvey combined for Davidson to score with a rare header. Then, the big, skilful "Tam" McGill hammered a marvellous second goal from a free kick. Near the end Harvey headed a third from a McLaughlin free kick. Sweeper Ian Baillie, who along with John McCool had returned from a season in senior football, was voted man of the match but goalkeeper Jim Marner said of McGill's performance that " he could have slotted in to the Scotland team alongside Dalglish."The Ladeside team was Marner, McFarlane, McMillan, McLaughlin, McGoldrick, Baillie, Davidson, McCool, Harvey, Inglis and McGill. Subs: Kerr and Cook (both used).The referee for the final was Saltcoats man Joe Timmons who became the first senior referee to officiate in both Scottish and English football.The '77 team must be regarded as the greatest Kilbirnie team ever as they also carried off the first Ayrshire League championship Div. 1 title. Ada McLaughlin, who led both Irvine Meadow and Ladeside to Scottish Cup victories, emigrated to Cranbrook, British Columbia soon after the Hampden match.

Ladeside produced another good Scottish Cup run in 1986 and reached the semi-final. On a rainy night at Somerset Park, Ayr they had a ding dong battle with Auchinleck Talbot losing 1-0.The following season they reached the final of the Scottish and once again met Auchinleck in what was only the second all Ayrshire final in the 101 years of the cup. It was to take two matches to separate the sides, by one goal.On the ideal setting of Rugby Park, they drew 1-1, Chisholm putting Auchinleck ahead in the 8th minute but a Billy Muir free kick grabbed a deserved equaliser in the second half. In the replay it was a man who had won a Scottish Cup medal with Ladeside in "77 who gave Talbot victory with a brilliant free kick.The Kilbirnie side was Bryden, Pirie, Lynn, Feeney, Rennie, O'Rourke, Lyden, Coll, Howie, Muir & Milne. Subs: Mills & Simpson. Alan Pirie and Hugh Lyden joined Partick Thistle after the final.

In 1988/89 after many attempts Ladeside finally won the Scarlett League Cup, beating Cumnock 4-2 at Rugby Park.Under the reins of new manager Willie Kean who took over after the shock resignation of Bobby Davidson (the boss for 28 years) they triumphed in the Irvine Times cup in 1992 beating Irvine Meadow at Meadow Park. Two seasons later they won the Scarlett Cup for the second time beating Auchinleck on penalties at Somerset Park. Their first silverware under manager John Minford was a 3-1 win against Cumnock in the final of the Irvine Times Cup. The team is now under the guidance of Manager Tommy Bryce and his Assistant David "Digger" Fulton and they led Ladeside to the Stagecoach Ayrshire District League title in 2006-07.

Their latest success was winning the West of Scotland Cup for the first time on 7th June 2008 by beating Pollok 5-1. This was a fantastic achievement as Ladeside were clear underdogs. Pollok were the Super League Premier Division champions and were expected to win comfortably. A hat-trick from Jamie Longworth secured him the Man of the Match award.

Honours

Scottish Junior Cup

* Winners: 1951-52, 1976-77
* Runners-up: 1986-87

Other Honours

* West of Scotland Cup winners: 2007-08
* Ayrshire First Division winners: 1947-48, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1967-68, 1975-76, 1976-77
* Ayrshire Second Division winners: 1976-77
* Ayrshire District League winners: 2006-07
* Ayrshire Cup: 1912-13, 1923-24, 1947-48, 1949-50, 1971-72, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1986-87
* Ayrshire League Cup: 1923-24, 1931-32, 1938-39, 1988-89, 1994-95
* Ayrshire District Cup: 1904-05, 1910-11, 1912-13, 1933-34, 1936-37, 1949-50, 1966-67, 1969-70, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1992-93, 1999-00
* Cunninghame Cup: 1986-87
* North Ayrshire Cup: 2001-02
* Ayrshire Super Cup: 1986-87, 2001-02
* Western Junior League Cup: 1923-24