Jump to content

This, and I, shouldn't be here: Cathkin Park


CCjag
 Share

Recommended Posts

As in the holiday advert, I shouldn’t really be here and nor should this posting, but what the Hell…

Most people who know me are aware of my earlier allegiance, but hopefully few would question my commitment to The Jags for over fifty years.

Amidst the footage of the Jags in Sweden and early 70's domestic games, I found the short clip I took on a visit my Father and I made to Cathkin.

It was less than five years after the Club died and a painful sight to see.

Younger Jags fans might be surprised at the size of the ground, older ones at the very familiar shape of the Cathkin Shed!

Anyway, it might be of interest to some who like meandering through the history of the game. If so, click here to view - it only lasts a couple of minutes.

CCJag

  • Like 5
  • Haha 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Funny you should post this CCjag.

I took my boy up to Cathkin Park last night to show him. His Grandad and great uncle were big Third's supporters and sadly his Grandad passed away a year before my boy was born. Think there must have been a bit of reincarnation going on as they are both very like one another.

Not long before my father in law passed I took him Cathkin Park, he was kind of forgetful, but remembered everything about Third Lanark, and was very animated telling me about it all.

I also remember as a kid, you used to get cheap plastic footballs (which were always rock hard, misshaped and flat) with all the different teams names printed on the panels, Third Lanark's name was still always on the balls and this was the mid 1970's!

It's a very sad tale though, how financial mismanagement/dishonesty totally destroyed the club.

I have never seen the footage your father shot. Thanks for sharing it. I hate it when old grounds are demolished and clubs move to Lego land stadiums, but it's incomparable to a club dying out.

I hope by some miracle, someone, somewhere brings Third Lanark back and that they rebuild Cathkin Park to its former glory. It's a weird wonderful place. That's for sure :thumbsup2:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was an absolute disgrace what happened to the Hi Hi. I was only in Cathkin maybe two or three times but always a good atmosphere and it had one of the finest of playing surfaces at that time.

One of my earliest memory of a football match was seeing the Thirds play Hibs at Hampden in the early 60s. For decades I thought it must have been a cup semi final. But not that many years ago I found out the Thirds were using Hampden while they were carrying out improvements to Cathkin. Doing up their ground only a handful of years before their liquidation. Gives you a wee bit indication just how unexpected their demise was. 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

Was an absolute disgrace what happened to the Hi Hi. I was only in Cathkin maybe two or three times but always a good atmosphere and it had one of the finest of playing surfaces at that time.

One of my earliest memory of a football match was seeing the Thirds play Hibs at Hampden in the early 60s. For decades I thought it must have been a cup semi final. But not that many years ago I found out the Thirds were using Hampden while they were carrying out improvements to Cathkin. Doing up their ground only a handful of years before their liquidation. Gives you a wee bit indication just how unexpected their demise was. 

Do you have many photos or footage you took of the Thirds LIB?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was at Cathkin for the last victory they ever had - 1-0 v Clydebank on April 15 1967 (England. 2 Scotland 3 on same day). Was also at a Junior final a few weeks later which might have been the last game ever at Cathkin ? Johnstone Burgh against Rutherglen Glencairn I think? It was a great ground and the footage really brings it to life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

One of my earliest memory of a football match was seeing the Thirds play Hibs at Hampden in the early 60s. For decades I thought it must have been a cup semi final. But not that many years ago I found out the Thirds were using Hampden while they were carrying out improvements to Cathkin.

Well, that's the explanation for something that has puzzled me for 50-60 years!

I can remember my maternal grandfather taking me to see Thirds a few times back then, but the only one that has stuck in my mind was watching them play at Hampden.

I could never figure out why Hampden, when the crowd wasn't big enough for a cup semi or final and I don't think they were playing Queens Park.

It must have been during the renovations of Cathkin - mystery solved!

 

Much obliged, LIB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never saw a match at Cathkin, but knew about Third Lanark even as a young Thistle fan, and remember feeling saddened when they were liquidated. Was always fascinated to look around the derelict ground on the way to Hampden during the 70s. I thought in some ways it was like Firhill in shape and design, though Cathkin might have been slightly bigger?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/1/2019 at 8:11 PM, CCjag said:

As in the holiday advert, I shouldn’t really be here and nor should this posting, but what the Hell…

Most people who know me are aware of my earlier allegiance, but hopefully few would question my commitment to The Jags for over fifty years.

Amidst the footage of the Jags in Sweden and early 70's domestic games, I found the short clip I took on a visit my Father and I made to Cathkin.

It was less than five years after the Club died and a painful sight to see.

Younger Jags fans might be surprised at the size of the ground, older ones at the very familiar shape of the Cathkin Shed!

Anyway, it might be of interest to some who like meandering through the history of the game. If so, click here to view - it only lasts a couple of minutes.

CCJag

Thanks for this CCjag, great memories for you, and very emotional I suspect. I've some knowledge of the hihi's, my late fathers friend Bert Bell was a huge fan and wrote a very knowledgable book in I think the mid 90's, (Still Seeing Red, available on amazon) an excellent read for any football fan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a boy I went to Cathkin a few times, mostly to watch the jags when they were playing there. Our school, Hyndland ,  reached a cup final which was played there in about 1964. The stand was quite new.  It was a good ground with a great playing surface.  Thirds had some great players around that time.   How sad that they folded.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  Cheers for the vid CC - interesting to see the rate of decay five years on from '67 and the old place without the vegetation. 

I was lucky enough to play at Cathkin Park for the resurrected Thirds amateur side some (can it really be? ) ten years ago & Matt/ThirdLanark was involved. Regrettably it only lasted a season as I wound up the manager once too often & got punted in the centre circle! It was a right eerie place to play. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
On 7/4/2019 at 5:41 PM, Guest said:

Thanks for this CCjag, great memories for you, and very emotional I suspect. I've some knowledge of the hihi's, my late fathers friend Bert Bell was a huge fan and wrote a very knowledgable book in I think the mid 90's, (Still Seeing Red, available on amazon) an excellent read for any football fan.

I still have a copy of that book which was given to me as a Christmas present in 1996. It's a good read with some great pictures. I can also remember trying  on Jimmy Mason's Scotland caps at my grandmother's house when I was a wee boy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a lovely, poignant video. 

I never got to see a game at Cathkin in the day, but I remember walking through the derelict stadium on the way back from Hampden once or twice a few years later. It certainly had a warm, living kind of eeriness about it. A tragic ending, and one that we should remember we only narrowly avoided ourselves. 

Edited by Blackpool Jags
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Blackpool Jags said:

It's a lovely, poignant video. 

I never got to see a game at Cathkin in the day, but I remember walking through the derelict stadium on the way back from Hampden once or twice a few years later. It certainly had a warm, living kind of eeriness about it. A tragic ending, and one that we should remember we only narrowly avoided ourselves. 

As a boy in England in '67, I had never heard of Third Lanark. So have no feelings about their demise, sad though it undoubtably was. But I agree with BJ, Cathkin Park today had a very special feeling about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Blackpool Jags said:

It's a lovely, poignant video. 

I never got to see a game at Cathkin in the day, but I remember walking through the derelict stadium on the way back from Hampden once or twice a few years later. It certainly had a warm, living kind of eeriness about it. A tragic ending, and one that we should remember we only narrowly avoided ourselves. 

To true BJ. Lets hope we never get into that state again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, sandy said:

Its strange to see the trees & bushes growing out of the terracing now. 

Thankfully we've never seen that at Firhill. Oh!, Hing on. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/02/11/4FA0A51600000578-6123673-image-a-12_1535884885853.jpg

The shocking lesson re Thirds was the speed of its end. I reckon most fans could accept the demise of their club a lot easier if it was simply a long slow decline. The Hi Hi were up the top of the league only a few seasons earlier and Cathkin was at the time reasonably well maintained and had reputably the best playing surface in Scotland.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...