Edinburgh City
Formed 1928
Elected to Scottish Division Two 1931. Resigned 1949
Kit History
1928-circa 1932 (d)
1932-1935 (a,d)
1935-1936 (b)
1936-Dec1937 (c,d)
Jan-May 1938 (d)
Background
Formed in 1928, Edinburgh City were an amateur club that, set out to emulate Queen's Park, competing at the higher levels of senior football while remaining strictly amateur. After two seasons in the East of Scotland League, they joined the Edinburgh & District League in 1930. The following year the club was elected to the Second Division of the Scottish League, replacing the original Clydebank FC. Doubts were expressed at the time over whether Edinburgh could support a fifth side in the Scottish Football League but the only other applicant was Nithsdale Wanderers, a village side from Dumfrieshire that had been part of the ill-fated Third Division.
It soon became clear that the "Lilywhites" were going to struggle: they were forced to apply for re-election six times over the next eight seasons and it would have been seven had Bo'ness and Armadale not been expelled in 1932-33 and there was no re-election vote at the end of the season. Indeed, as Scotland was hit by economic recession, there were no clubs prepared to take the financial risk of joining the Scottish League and throughout the decade, the clubs applying for re-election were returned unopposed.
When the Second World War broke out, City played on in the Lothian Amateur League while retaining their membership of the SFL. When the Scottish League resumed in 1946, Edinburgh City were placed in the new Division C. Despite their poor pre-war performances, the club felt ill treated by this decision to relegate them to what was effectively a competition for reserve teams. Even at this lower level, City were out of their depth and in a twelve team league they finished 12th, 11th and 12th in a 12 team division. Professionalism was reluctantly introduced in 1947 but without any noticeable impact on results. Riven by internal struggles, the club finally resigned in 1949.
After joining the SJFA, for the next six seasons Edinburgh City played on in the Edinburgh & District Junior League where they seemed to be much more at home, finishing in comfortable mid-table positions. In 1955 the Edinburgh Corporation declined to renew the club's lease on City Park for reasons that remain obscure. The club closed down temporarily and would not re-open for 31 years!
Even though the club no longer fielded a team, the Edinburgh City Social Club continued to thrive. In 1986 Alan Day, who played for East of Scotland League team Postal United, persuaded the committee to revive its football side by absorbing the Post Office team. The name of Edinburgh City reappeared, switching from Postal United's all-red to City's traditional white and black. Gradually the reincarnated club established its reputation, becoming full members of the SFA in 1995 when they moved into Meadowbank Stadium, vacated by Meadowbank Thistle when they became Livingston.
Sources
- (a) Brian McColl
- (b) London Hearts
- (c) Historic Saints of Edinburgh (George Campbell 1983) provided by Stuart Swan.
- (d) Alick Milne