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| Founded : 1907 Honours: 2 x Scottish Cups (1922 & 1949), 3 x West of Scotland Cups (1925, 1929 & 1937) Scottish Amateur Premier League Champions (2007) 4 x Scottish Amateur League Division 1 Champions (1927,28,34 and 37) Division 2 (1988) Division 3 (1959) Division 5 (1980) Hall Cup (1986) Ball trophy (reserves) (1959) Premier Division 1 (1995) 3 x Centenary Trophys (1991, 2003, 2005) 2 x Jimmy Marshall Trophys (1997, 2005) Below is a club profile as wrote in the November issue 1971 of the Scottish Amateur Magazine: Greenock High School F.P. are among the oldest established Amateur clubs in the country, having been founded in 1907. In 1911 the club became members of the Glasgow and District Former Pupils League. At this time the ground at cowdenknowes park was obtained on a 21 year lease, but the lease was surrendered to the education authorities in 1927 when the new High School was built on the site of the old football pitch. From 1927 to 1931 the F.P's used Cappielow park on alternate Saturdays with Morton, until the new playing fields were completed in the school grounds. The years between the wars saw the club riding on the crest of the waves. The year 1922 was a memorable one football wise for Greenock - Morton won the Scottish Cup and the High School F.P's won the amateur cup as well as being league champions. Next Season they again finished top of the table, won the F.P league Flag Competition and reached the Scottish Cup Final once more, only to lose to Moorpark. In 1924 after a dispute with the F.P League, the High obtained membership of the Scottish Amateur League and were First division Champions in 1927, 1928 and 1937 and the West of Scotland Cup Winners in 1925,1929 and 1937 and teh Renfrewshire Victoria Cup was anexed Five times. Unbelievable as it may seem to present devotees of the amateur game, the Greenock High's average gate during this period was around the 2000 mark with the occasional important match drawing over 5000 spectators - changed days indeed!! No artivle on the club would be complete without a mention of the great stalwart Duncan McNeill. He made his debut as a schoolboy in 1911, guested with Morton and Hearts during the First War, but refused all professional offers and when the club resumed activities in 1919, McNeill starred at centre Half and Captain until his retiral in 1937. in this time he turned out in more than 700 matches, gained Scottish Caps and captained many representative sides. In the pre-war era the following are some of teh players who left teh Club for the senior ranks. R.G. Harrison (Hamilton and Rangers) R.Benzie (Manchester United, W.Martin (Motherwell) J.Sloan (Kilmarnock) R.Ferguson (Hearts and St Mirren) P.Mclauglin (Queens park), T.Ferguson (Clyde) and the last High School PLayer to be 'capped', Gordon Hamilton who kept goal for the Queens for many years and is now a patron of the Club. When football resumed after the war, the Greenock Lads took up where they had left off, winning the unofficial League Championship in 1946. In 1949 they confounded the pundits by battling through to Hampden to lift the Scottish Cup for a second time. Greenock corporation duly recognised this performance with a civic recption. The Club captain of that side was Jimmy Griffin who was probably the clubs outstanding player - and official - of the post war era. Unfortunately this was the end of the "High's" halcyon days. the cup winning side grew old together and the star younger players in the town preferred to play for the crack juvenile sides of that period. Consequently the clubs fortunes began to wane, and in 1954 for the first time in this history, they were relegated from the first division. The next 15 years were ones of constant struggle, relieved only by winning the third division in 1959, but the slump continued until 1969 when the club were relegated to the fifth division. Enthusiasm and funds where non existent and there where no officials, so it appeared that after 64 years, the shutters would have to be put up. However the players themselves had other ideas. They asked their veteran goalkeeper, Willie Wright to take over as Secretary, new committee was formed with Mr. J.A Griffin - the same Jimmy who captained the 1949 cup winning side - as chairman and Hugh McIntyre as trainer / coach, while to maintain the traditional links with the school, Mr H.B. Black M.A. , the rector agreed to be hon. president. So it was that last season practically starting from scratch but with a new found enthusiasm, the team suddenly began to click again. After losing their first four home matches, they went on to win promotion, reach the semi final of the Colin Munro Cup and the final of the Renfrewshire Victoria Cup only to fall to Viewfield Rovers. They also qualified for the Renfrewshire Cup and meet Morton at Cappielow in the near future. All the players did well, Robert McGhie scoring 30 goals from the right wing, Billy Nicholson bagging 20 and midfield ace Stewart Richardson claiming 19, while in defence Tommy Quigley was a real stalwart. The team has made a good start to the season, and has been strengtheded by the acquisitiion of Alan Eardley and Aly McNish, two experience half backs. Also it is encouraging to note that the reserve XI are winning their fixtures with high scores. The committee realise that their is a long, hard road ahead before Greenock High School F.P are once more in the forefront of Amateur football, but they are certainly confident that there are better days ahead for the old club. That was the Club Profile as printed in November 1971.......... Since then the Club is now established in the Premier League of the SAFL having won the title in their Centenary year 2007, having previouly finished runners up on no fewer than 4 occassions, In season's 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 Greenock having the misfortune to lose out on goal difference. The Centenary Cup was won in 2003 and a further two final appearances the following season, the team then won The Centenary Cup again in 2005 along with the Jimmy Marshall Trophy to establish Greenock HSFP as one of the top teams in the SAFL The High School have been to Hampden twice in the not so distant past. Both were for the West of Scotland Cup Final which unfortunately both ended in defeat. The first in 1988 against a strong Coatbridge CC side who also won the Scottish Amateur Cup that year, 4-0 ( a score which did not reflect the game), and the second in 1996 against Dalziel HSFP 1-0 with a side that contained both current management team Stevie Downie and Ian Davis. Over the past few years two 1/4 final appearances in the West Cup along with 2 runs to the last 16 of the Scottish have saw Greenock HSFP become a stronger force in national competitions and they'll now look to improve on that front. Hopefully in the not to distant future there will be more successes for me to fill this page with.... |
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