Irvine Academicals F.C.

Irvine Academicals

Full name	Irvine Academicals Football Club
Nickname(s)	the Acas
Founded	1902
Dissolved	1905
Secretary	A. P. MacLachlan
Home colours

Irvine Academicals F.C. was a football club from the town of Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland.

History

The club was formed in late 1902 to provide a pure amateur side in the town, and had no exclusive link with the Irvine Academy; the club secretary, MacLachlan, had been involved with Glasgow University F.C., and it also had interest from Moffat and Fletcher from Queen's Park.^[1]

The club had a bright start, beating the Ayr amateur side Ayr Parkhouse 2–1 in its first match,^[2] and proved a popular attraction in the town, a good crowd defying the rain to support the side against a Scottish Amateur XI in February 1903.^[3]

The club duly joined the Scottish Football Association in August 1903^[4] and entered the Scottish Qualifying Cup competition. The club however lost 6–0 at Kilwinning Eglinton in the first round, a result which "was in no way surprising".^[5]

Undaunted, the club also entered the Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Football League, which was undertaking its first season in 1903–04, with six entrants. The Acas drew 2–2 with Paisley Academical in a "pleasant" first match,^[6] but lost the other 4 matches it played before withdrawing from the competition.^[7]

The Acas therefore found succour in the Scottish Amateur Football League,^[8] but withdrew after losing its first two matches.^[9]

Despite this first season of almost total blanks, it entered the Qualifying Cup again for 1904–05, but scratched when drawn to visit Beith.^[10] Indeed, the club does not seem to have played at all in the season^[11] and it was struck from the Scottish FA roll in August 1905.^[12]

Colours

The club played in blue and white.^[13]

Ground

The club's ground was at Kersland Field.^[14]

References