Bathgate Thistle F.C.

Bathgate Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club, based in the town of Bathgate, West Lothian. They play in the East of Scotland League Third Division.

Bathgate Thistle

Full name	Bathgate Thistle Football Club
Nickname(s)	Thistle
Founded	1937
Ground	Creamery Park Hardhill Road Bathgate
Capacity	3,000
Manager	Gordon Wilson
League	East of Scotland League Third Division
2022–23	East of Scotland League Third Division, 6th of 10
Home colours Away colours

Nicknamed Thistle, they were formed in 1937 and presently play their home games at the recently WLC determined ‘common good’ land of the Creamery Park, which has room for 3,000 spectators. Their home shirts are blue with a white trim and their away shirts are black with a white trim.

In 2006, Thistle reached the final of the Scottish Junior Cup, losing 2–1 to Auchinleck Talbot at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, in front of around 7,000 spectators. In 2008, the club reached the final again, this time defeating Cumnock Juniors 2–1.^[1]

Despite being a founding partner of the community football club in 2013, under the guidance of Bobby Napier and Kevin McDonald, the Junior team left the community football club in 2019 despite its continuing growth in the boys, girls and women’s pathway. The Senior side is managed by Gordon Wilson. The U20's under a new Bathgate Juniors led by the same Kevin McDonald that exited the community club, started in 22/23 and play in the Scottish Lowland Development League.

Coaching staff

Role	Name
Manager	Gordon Wilson
Coach	Steven Johnstone
Goalkeeping Coach	Allan Todd
Kitman	George Cunningham

Source

Current squad

As of January 2023^[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   SCO Sean Brown — DF   SCO Gregor Dryden — DF   SCO Harry Maguire — DF   SCO Stuart Conway — DF   SCO Nathan Williamson — DF   SCO James Macadam — DF   SCO Grant MacDonald — DF   SCO Myles Wilson — DF   SCO Kyle Mooney — DF   SCO Brayden Docherty — MF   SCO Grant Forrester — FW   SCO Michael Adams — MF   SCO Fraser Cormack — MF   SCO Kyle Mowatt — MF   SCO Aidan Gibb — MF   SCO James McCullagh — MF   SCO Jordan Rodger — MF   SCO Glenn Thomson — FW   SCO Lewis McKenzie — FW   SCO Jordan Devine — FW   SCO Nathan Jollie

Managerial history

Name Nationality Years William Smith   1965-1966?^[3] Davie Kidd   1974-?^[4] Tam Connor   ?-1977^[5] Robin Gibson   1989?^[6] Willie Russell   1990-1992^[7] Willie Hill   ?-2009^[8] Paul Jack   2009^[9] Graeme Love   2009-2012^[10] Keith Hogg ^c   2012^[11] Derek Strickland   2012-2013^[12]^[13] Robert Main   2013-2014^[14] Barrie Malcolm   2014-^[15] Andy Colley   2015-2017^[16] Jim Henderson   2017-2018^[17] Michael Wilson   2018 Kevin McKee   2020^[18] Andy Colley   2020-2021^[19] Stewart Devine   2021-2022^[20] Andy Malone   2022-2023^[21] Gordon Wilson   2023-^[22]

^c Caretaker manager

Honours

Scottish Junior Cup

• Winners: 2007–08
• Runners-up: 2005–06

Other Honours

• East Region Division Two champions: 1986–87, 1990–91
• East of Scotland Junior Cup winners: 1941–42, 2006–07
• St. Michael Cup winners: 1940–41, 1959–60, 2000–01
• Brown Cup winners: 1941–42
• Thornton Shield winners: 1943–44, 1944–45
• RL Rae Cup winners: 1965–66 – Manager was William Ross Smith (ex-Partick Thistle, Queen of the South and Berwick Rangers)
• Fife and Lothians Cup winners: 2009–10

References

1. Colin Duncan (2 June 2008). "Junior Cup Final: Bathgate 2-1 Cumnock". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
2. "Bathgate Thistle FC - Squad list". www.bathgatethistlejuniorsfc.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
3. "JUVENILE NOTES". West Lothian Courier. 25 February 1966.
4. "Late k.o. for 'Dale". West Lothian Courier. 4 January 1974.
5. "time unlucky for 'Burn". West Lothian Courier. 25 November 1977.
6. "46 COURIER Friday September 1 1989 Courier Sport: Golf Touchline Topics Pool Rugby Gala trophy semi-finals THE ." West Lothian Courier. 1 September 1989.
7. "54 COURIER Friday April 24 1992 COURIER SPORT LAST-DITCH WINNER SEES LOGANLEA INTO SEMIS LOGANLEA Amateurs are ." West Lothian Courier. 24 April 1992.
8. "Willie Hill brings curtain down on his rollercoaster life at Bathgate". Daily Record. 15 January 2009.
9. "Sacked Bathgate boss Paul Jack targets quick return to dugout". Daily Record. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
10. Westbrook, Kieran (22 March 2012). "Bathgate Thistle boss booted out of Creamery Park". West Lothian Courier. Scottish & Universal Newspapers. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
11. "Bathgate Thistle versus Lochee United preview". 29 March 2012.
12. Westbrook, Kieran (26 April 2012). "Bathgate Thistle appoint former Whitburn boss as new gaffer". West Lothian Courier. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
13. Gilmour, John (17 June 2013). "Strickland resigns as Bathgate boss". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
14. "Bathgate Thistle nab Pumpherston boss Robert Main". Daily Record. 4 July 2013.
15. "New Bathgate Thistle boss ready to take club back to the top of the Junior game". Daily Record. 26 June 2014.
16. "Andy Colley returns as Bathgate Thistle manager". Daily Record. 7 February 2020.
17. "Bathgate confirm Jim as manager". Press Reader. 11 May 2017.
18. "Andy Colley returns as Bathgate Thistle manager". Daily Record. 7 February 2020.
19. "Andy Colley returns as Bathgate Thistle manager". Daily Record. 7 February 2020.
20. "Bathgate Thistle boss Stewart Devine says team will be "in a good place" when new era begins". Edinburgh Evening News. 6 July 2021.
21. "Bathgate Thistle pick up derby win in new manager's debut". Daily Record. 25 April 2022.
22. "We have appointed Gordon Wilson as manager. Gordon steps up from coach following Andy Malone's decision to take time away". Twitter. 16 January 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Bathgate Thistle F.C. on Facebook
• Bathgate Thistle F.C. on Twitter