History

History

It was in April of 1919, following the First World War that a Recreation Club was formed within the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company. Employees agreed to subscribe to funds at the rate of 1/2d per week with the Company kindly consenting to match the sum subscribed by all the workers. The subscription was subsequently increased to 1d per week in order to provide a fund large enough to cover the initial expenditure required to establish a Cricket Club, equipment for the Bowling Club and the establishment of two football teams, one at Junior and one at Juvenile level. The Club then went on to purchase a recreation field at Kirkton with a small pavilion erected to cater for the Football Clubs in the winter and the Cricket Club in the summer.

Club 1920

The 1920 team

The Junior team were enterprising and in the early years played in competitions including the Scottish Junior Cup, East of Scotland Junior Cup, Fife Cup, Cowdenbeath Cup, East of Fife Cup, Fife Junior Shield, west of Fife Cup, the West of Fife League and then the East of Fife Junior League. The Raith Rovers Parliamentary Cup and the Wilson Cup added to the list of competitions entered but these early years met with little success.
In 1923 the Shipyard team was represented in the Burntisland and District Juvenile Football League while the Junior Club faded from the scene.
It was in 1925 that the Burntisland Shipyard Amateur Team was formed and they entered the Lothian Amateur League.
One of their first major successes was to come in May 1928 when they defeated Murrayfield Amateurs 1-0 in the Logan Cup Final at Tynecastle in front of a crowd of 3000 – 500 of whom had travelled from Burntisland.
1929 saw the Burntisland Amateur Football Club enter the Scottish Qualifying Cup and become the first amateur side from the Lothian League to qualify for The Scottish Cup. They played for a further two seasons in the Lothian League and then moved to the Edinburgh & District Amateur League, retaining a second side in the Lothian league set-up
This followed acceptance earlier that year into The Fifeshire Football Association - a move that gave them entry into the draws for the Fife and Wemyss Cups against teams such as Raith Rovers, East Fife, C,owdenbeath, Lochgelly and Dunfermline.
In May 1932, the Shipyard Team won the Fife Amateur Cup in the first year of its existence defeating Abbotshall by 4 goals to 1 at Dunnikier Park, Kirkcaldy.
August 1934 saw the club’s top squad return to the first division of the Lothian Amateur League set-up and in May 1935 they were presented with another Logan Cup win(4 –2)– this time against Insurance Amateurs at Meadowbank. The club’s popularity and success at this time resulted in them running 3 sides.
The first Scottish Cup tie played in Burntisland was on 25th January 1926 when they drew with Dumbarton (2-2) in front of a crowd of 600. The replay was lost (4-2) the following week with a crowd of 1700 spectating.
Another Logan Cup victory was to come in the 1935/36 season when they defeated St Cuthberts FP by 4 goals to1, once again at Meadowbank..
The 28th January 1939 will probably go down as one of the most memorable occasions for the Club when they took on the mighty Glasgow Celtic – Celtic ran out winners (3-8) but a 2000 crowd saw the home side turn at half time 2 goals to 3.
Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939 started the Second World War and for the next few years while some league competition, including the Lothian Amateur League, continued, a large number of clubs stopped playing - National Service taking its toll on the sport’s participants. During this period clubs to emerge given the war situation included – The Pioneer Corp.; R.A.M.C.; R.A.S.C.; Scottish Command; R.A.F.(East Fortune); Royal Army Pay Corp.
Following the war Shipyard again won the Fife Amateur Cup defeating Crail by 8 goals to 1. The Cup unfortunately had gone missing during the war period and was not available for presentation.
The team continued to play in the Lothian League set-up until August 1959 when they joined the Kirkcaldy and District Amateur League, gaining several honours before their move to The Kingdom Caledonian League in which they currently play in the 1999/2000 season.

From the Daily Mail Monday 23rd January 1939

Celtic Match


Ian Campbell

In January 1943 the Shipyard F.C were pleased to learn that their former clever and young player, Ian Campbell,had received his wings and was now a Pilot Officer. Ian was the son of Mr and Mrs Hugh Campbell of 52, Rossend Terrace, Burntisland and had played with the Shipyard at the age of 16, having also had trials for Heart of Midlothian.. During his career as Flight Officer, Ian continued to play and had the honour of captaining a Scottish side against the English in Cairo. At the end of the war, Ian signed for the CHICAGO MAROONS who played in the North American Soccer League

Robert Matthew

A history of the Club’s most prolific goalscorer
Overall Score rate – 1.06 Goals per game.
Played in 235 of the Club’s 239 competitive matches in just over 5 seasons.
Scored 3 goals or more in 20 games Highest Score in One game – 7 goals

Season Games App Goals Hat tricks
1992/93 38 38 51 3
1993/94 44 44 57 6
1994/95 54 54 53 6
1995/96 47 47 48 4
1996/97 45 42 30 1
1997/98 11 10 9  

1992/93 hat-tricks - Hill o’Beath, Glenvale, Blairhall
1993/94 - Lochgelly, Valleyfield, Leslie (4) - Lochore, Kelty, Townhill
1994/95 - Kelty, Girvan, St Cuthberts, Steadings, Leslie (7) - Glenwood
1995/96 - Burntisland Utd, Leslie, Lochore (4) - Bowhill
1996/97 - Buckhaven