1885–86 Scottish Cup 1st Round, Alpha 6–8 Cambuslang Hibernians, Motherwell Times, 19 September 1885
The club was formed in 1881 as the works side of the Alpha Steam Crane and Engine Works.[1] The media sometimes referred to the club as Motherwell Alpha.[2]
Alpha's first competitive football came in the 1883–84 Lanarkshire Cup, and, thanks to two wins and a bye, reached the semi-final. Alpha lost 4–0 at the more experienced Cambuslang, who scored 3 goals in the final 10 minutes,[3] and who beat Dykehead in the final by the same score.
The club entered the Lanarkshire again in the following season, "unexpectedly" beating Hamilton Academical 5–2,[4] but losing to Dykehead in the quarter-final.
There was a chance for Alpha to gain revenge on the town in the Lanarkshire Cup, as Cambuslang was drawn to visit Motherwell, but again the visitors scored 8 - this time however Alpha only scoring 1, against the side that would go on to reach the Scottish Cup final two years later.[6]
On 17 May 1886, the club held a meeting in Mrs Baillie's pub in Merry Street, and decided to break up the Alpha and form a new club, to be called Motherwell Football Club. The resulting club, which included members of the Glencairn works side, retained James Ferguson as secretary and Roman Road as its ground, and was considered more a continuation of Alpha.[7]
The Alpha still had to play out the season, which included the latter stages of the first Motherwell Charity Cup; there was not much charity shown in the semi-final with Wishaw Swifts, which included a protested match and one match abandoned because of fighting.[8] Wishaw Swifts scratched, and Alpha's very last match was a 5–1 defeat to Royal Albert in the final.[9]
Colours
The club wore navy blue jerseys and hose, and white knickers.[10]
Ground
The club first played on a field behind Baillie's Square on Merry Street, but in March 1885[11] moved into Roman Road Park, 400 yards from Motherwell railway station,[12] which ultimately offered "the finest piece of turf in the shire".[13] The move allowed the club to rent out its former ground for grazing purposes.[14]
The first game at the new ground was a 2–2 draw with Hamilton Academical on 7 March, some spectators taking issue with the timekeeping, as the referee insisted that the Acas' equalizer came when the game "wanted a few seconds of being finished".[15] The rent was £18 per year, and one problem the club had was the ease with which trespassers could sneak into the ground without paying, by climbing over the meagre fencing.[16]
Notable players
James "Skinner" Cassidy, who played for Alpha on its foundation, and later for Everton[17]
References
^McDowell, Matthew (2009). The origins, patronage and culture of association football in the west of Scotland, c. 1865-1902. Glasgow: Glasgow University. p. 90.
^"Conversazione". Motherwell Times: 3. 28 February 1885.
^"Football - Lanarkshire Cup - Semi-final tie - Cambuslang v Alpha Motherwell". Motherwell Times: 2. 23 February 1884.
^"Football". Paisley & Renfrewshire Gazette: 3. 20 December 1884.
^Scottish FA Minutes 1884–87. Glasgow: Scottish Football Association. 25 August 1885. p. 108.
^"Lanarkshire Cup". Lanarkshire Upper Ward Examiner: 2. 19 December 1885.
^McDowall, John (1886). Scottish FA Annual 1886–87. Hay Nisbet. p. 55.
^"Motherwell Charity Cup". Wishaw Press: 2. 12 June 1886.