Alexandra Athletic F.C.

Alexandra Athletic Football Club was a 19th-century football club from Dennistoun, in Glasgow, which participated in the early years of the Scottish Cup. History The football club was founded in 1873 as an all-round athletics club, with football as the "ruling pastime"; originally, the club's request to use part of Alexandra Park as a home ground was declined, despite the club being "a body of working men...who had done a very gracious thing in asking permission to get the use of a portion of the park". Within two months however the new club was given permission to lease part of the park for sporting activities; by this time the Earl of Glasgow and Robert Dalglish MP had agreed to become the club's patrons and the club had an elite image, with amongst the best sporting facilities and equipment in Glasgow. Indeed the club's first secretary, William Dick, was also the secretary of the Scottish Football Association. By the following season, the issue had been sorted out, and the club was able to play its first Scottish FA Cup tie on the park; after beating Callander F.C. at home in the first round, the club lost 2–0 to Blythswood in the second (last eight), the club complaining that the Blythswood-nominated umpire was not merely a member of the Blythswood club, but had also been giving coaching advice during the match; nevertheless the clubs enjoyed a convivial toast after the match.