Page 9 - Clydesdale origins (Autosaved) #3_Neat

st
th
Clydesdale’s move to Titwood in the 1870s led to bigger and better things for the club, and in the 20 and 21 centuries, the ground is perhaps synonymous with
many Important fixtures being played on the ground for the sports of cricket and hockey. From club matches, to National Leagues, District and representative
matches and to full blown international games, the ground has seen them all, but the ground has also been host to important matches for other sports, namely
football a nd rugby.

The ‘Spiders’ spell of spin at Titwood

Queen’s Park Football Club used Clydesdale Cricket Club’s ground of Titwood for the 1883-84 football season, it allowed the “Spiders” to concentrate on its new
ground being built that would be named Hampden.

The former ground would still exist and would later become the home of Third Lanark and re -named Cathkin. Third Lanark’s ground at Southern Cricket Club’s
ground in Inglefield Street would remain for some time thereafter and remain as the parade ground for the Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers and later as a secondary
parade ground and barracks for the Cameronian Scottish Rifles who had a parade ground in nearby Kingarth Street and Company headquarters in Coplaw Street.

Some important games were played by Queen's Park during its short tenureship at Titwood in 1883-84. The first was against Northern on Saturday 27th October
1883 which Queen’s won 3-1, Their next home fixture was against Dumbarton whom they also beat 3-1. On Saturday 1st December 1883, Queen’s Park played

Manchester in an English Football Association Cup tie and proceeded to beat their English opposition 15-0. On Saturday 22nd December 1883, Cartvale were the
opposition in a Scottish Cup tie who were soundly beaten 6-1. 1884 was brought in at Titwood with Queen’s Park playing an exhibition match against London
Swifts who were on the receiving end of a 5-1 thrashing. Four days later on 5th January, Pollokshields were beaten 2-1.

But probably the most important game of the 1883-84 season, and the justification for Queen’s Park seeking the use of their good friends Clydesdale’s ground,
was when Queen’s Park drew Aston Villa in the next round of the English Football Association Cup. The date was Saturday 19th January 1884, and with the
proximity of Crossmyloof Station, Aston Villa brought a travelling support of more than a thousand people who travelled in a commissioned train for this fixture.
You could argue that this was probably one of the earliest examples of a “football special”.

Aston Villa were slaughtered 6-1 by Queen’s Park, and according to the press reports of the day, “Such was the dismay and disgust at the performance of their
team, the travelling support sought other means of consolation, and drowned their sorrows to such an extent, many failed to return on time for the departure of
the train for the South, and slept off their grief in unexpected, and exposed, havens of rest.”

Queen’s Park completed their remaining fixtures at Titwood in time for the commencement of the 1884 cricket season. The new Hampden opened on Saturday

18th October 1884 with Dumbarton, another cricket cum football club providing the opposition, and drawing an opening attendance of over seven thousand
people to admire the new ground and witness a 0-0 draw.

After the demise of Clydesdale’s association football section in 1890, rugby football appeared at Titwood. In 1896/97, Clydesdale Rugby Club shared the Scottish
league championship with Jedforest and Watsonians. Five Clydesdale players went on to win Scottish rugby football caps: T L Hendry (1893, 95), E Spencer
(1898), J M Dykes (1898-1902), J A Bell (1901-02) and J Robertson (1908).