CLUB
PROFILE
Fifty six years ago
two Glasgow clubs
reached either end
of the footballing
spectrum within
the space of only a
few months. When
the 1967 season
finished, the east
end of the city
celebrated Britain’s
first ever European
champions as
Celtic defeated the
mighty Inter Milan
to lift the trophy
along with four
others to complete
a clean sweep of
every competition
they entered that
year.
66 | YFS Magazine | Issue #1
However
mere miles away Third
Lanark, a club who to this day remain
part of a select group to have lifted
both the league and national cup in
Scotland, were seemingly consigned
to a footnote in history as they folded
under severe financial strain and left
their Cathkin Park home with no
return in sight.
That remained the case until
recently when a few dedicated local
people resurrected the name with a
view to creating something new whilst
keeping an eye on history. Few people
nowadays can even recall when the
Redcoats were a force in football but
with a little luck and a lot of work it
might not be long until the club are a
regular fixture in our minds again.
The youth team currently play in
the GADYFL under 19’s division and
can count amongst their number
several outstanding talents who are
looking to achieve success in the red
of Third Lanark . Ryan Carmichael
is an outstanding captain who
contributes both leadership and
assists in equal measure, Baboucarr
Musa is a goal scoring centre forward
who has terrorised defences to the
point on racking up 56 strikes last
season and Qassim Ali is a talented
utility player who is able to link up play
from anywhere on the park.Under
the watchful eye of David Henderson,
Andy Henderson and Brad Ruddock
they display a brand of attacking
football that is easy on the eye and
tough on opponents and only have
eyes for progression having come
from nonexistence only a few years
ago to the brink of league success
during the 2013-14 campaign. Their
current roots lie in the community in
which they are based and despite their
current good form they represent
a portion of their community that
remains under represented.
Up until only a few years ago a
player like Ali had not yet kicked a ball
in anger for a club despite having an
obvious talent for the game and if not
for a chance encounter with a fellow
pupil at his school when he was 16
he would never have attended a trial
session for the club three years ago,
an anecdote which only represents
the tip of what many view as an
iceberg of untapped Scottish talent.
The organisation currently lays claim
to three teams across different levels
of the game with a view to joining the
junior ranks within two years but their
ambition is to do so much more within
their local area.
An application has been made to
return the club to their ancestral
home at Cathkin Park in a move
that would be seen as a true rebirth
but the coaches view their links
with those living close to them as
the future of the project. Davie
Henderson currently works with
young people in the Govanhill area
and sees football as an opportunity
for their development, giving them
the chance to play and gain so many
advantages that would be otherwise
unavailable to them. Third Lanark, if
properly supported, could prove to be
a beacon for so many in one Glasgow’s
less affluent areas and his hope is that
it may act as a beacon for investment;
allowing children from a variety of
backgrounds access to sport that they
might otherwise not have. As it stands
the club brings in players from a small
catchment area and has had success
in doing so up until now with both
coaches and players having an eye on
the title this season and the potential
for further growth is there for all to
see.
Those currently playing league
fixtures against the likes of West
Park and Kings Park week in week
out could realistically move into the
junior football structure within a few
years but would also have a window
in which to advertise themselves to
the professional game and potentially
a chance to perform at the highest
level. At the moment it is a set up
with players and coaches dedicated
to growth and development but
considering the potential that exists
in and around them it would not be
surprising to see this group flourishing
just like the team of old before long.