A unique letter from the vaults of Scottish football history…
It’s not too often you see a piece of memorabilia which completely blows you away. But I was lucky enough to be shown this pretty special article earlier this month.
Letter dated 21 January 1907 from Kilmarnock FC
This is a letter of reference from Kilmarnock FC secretary Frank Frew to former Celtic trainer Will Quinn, dated 21 January 1907. Almost 120 years ago. It is owned by Will’s great-grandson.
It bears Killie’s official letterhead and shows the club’s registered office as 32 John Finnie Street, Kilmarnock, which I believe is now a Business Enterprise Centre, and their ground as Rugby Park, Rugby Road. The club telephone number consisted of just three digits…125!
The redeveloped Rugby Park had been opened just over seven years earlier, on Saturday, 26 August 1899 with a League visit from Scottish Cup-holders Celtic, with 11,000 in attendance. This was Kilmarnock’s first-ever top-flight home game, having been promoted as undefeated Division 2 champions in the spring. There is a suggestion that this was also the first top Division match to be played in the county of Ayrshire.
The kidney-shaped six-yard box markings
Kick-off was at 4pm and the event was captured for posterity in this iconic photo of the teams and officials. If you look closely, you can make out the kidney-shaped six-yard box markings.
Killie wore a change kit of white shirts rather than their normal blue and white striped jerseys, presumably to allow Celtic to use their vertical stripes of green and white. It would be another four years before the Hoops were introduced at Celtic Park.
The Celtic side on that historic occasion was as follows.
Dan McArthur;
Jim Welford & Tom Turnbull;
Barney Battles, Harry Marshall & Alex King;
Johnny Hodge, Johnny Campbell, John Divers, Sandy McMahon & Jack Bell
John Divers and Harry Marshall gave Celts a two-goal interval lead, but the hosts fought back in the second half to level matters with a Jimmy Howie double.
Continues on the next page…
