CCjag Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 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 5 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyMac Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Third Lanark Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 Wonderful footage Gordon thanks so much for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Third Lanark Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 1 minute ago, Third Lanark said: Do you have many photos or footage you took of the Thirds LIB? Sorry, TL. Just some distant memories, alas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanieD Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rid Skwerr Posted July 1, 2019 Report Share Posted July 1, 2019 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted July 2, 2019 Report Share Posted July 2, 2019 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garscube Road End Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 Never got to Cathkin Park. My father went numerous times. He always said that the playing surface was the best in the league. He loved going to watch Thistle there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balintore jag Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 Thanks for the video CC, and thanks for everyone sharing memories. I enjoy reading this sort of thing. Shame that Scottish football lost so much here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gianlucatoni Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partickthedog Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 What happened to First and Second Lanark? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Gekantawa Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 13 hours ago, partickthedog said: What happened to First and Second Lanark? Presumably neither of their regiments formed a professional football team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillresigned Posted July 7, 2019 Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 On 7/5/2019 at 1:11 PM, Duke Gekantawa said: Presumably neither of their regiments formed a professional football team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARu-Strathbungo Posted October 19, 2019 Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/17973400.third-lanark-brothers-remember-stuff-dreams-playing-legendary-club-1959-league-cup-final/ Worth a read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exiled AusJag Posted October 19, 2019 Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy Posted October 19, 2019 Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 Its strange to see the trees & bushes growing out of the terracing now. What a loss to Scottish Football 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BILL.H Posted October 19, 2019 Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 Saw Thistle play at Cathkin a few times. Still remember turning up at Cathkin in 1963, to learn that full back Sandie Brown had just been sold to Everton. Just checked, we lost 3-2 that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpool Jags Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 (edited) 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 October 20, 2019 by Blackpool Jags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowenBoys Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld Jag Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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