Clydesdale Football Club was a 19th-century football club based in Rutherglen, Scotland. History The club was formed in 1883, and played its first competitive match in the Lanarkshire Cup in 1884. The club was part of the Temperance Movement and its members were teetotallers. The media occasionally referred to the club as Rutherglen Clydesdale. Clydesdale started to enter the Scottish Cup in 1885–86, losing 4–2 at home to Tollcross F.C. in its first entry. The club entered every season until 1891–92 and never won a tie. The club's peak (such as it was) came in the 1888–89 season. It reached the second round of the Scottish Cup, thanks to drawing against local rivals Rutherglen F.C.; under the rules of the competition at the time, both teams progressed after two draws. In the second round, Clydesdale visited Uddingston F.C., and was 4–0 down at half-time, both sides scoring once in the second half. The club also reached the semi-final of the Lanarkshire Cup, albeit only thanks to a bye and a default, after the club had initially lost to Rutherglen in the quarter-final. In the semi-final, at Royal Albert F.C. of Larkhall, the young Clydesdale side took a shock lead with a shot from Rowan, but the Royalists equalized early in the second half after a long scrimmage, and took the lead with a goal which was "very much offside", and with Clydesdale effectively down to 9 men through injuries, eventually went out 3–1. The club finished the season with its one cup success, in the Lanarkshire Football Association invitational tournament, which was meant to be played as a series of double-header ties; however most of the clubs withdrew and Clydesdale was invited to take the place of Motherwell F.C. in the final tie against Carfin Shamrock F.C., which the club won 1–0. Clydesdale had long struggled for crowds, with Rutherglen locals preferring the rival town side or the clubs in nearby Cambuslang. By the end of the 1890–91 season, the club was around £20 in debt, and the Rutherglen club proposed a merger. The Clydesdale committee agreed to form a new club (to be called Ruglonians) and to play at Southcroft; however the Clydesdale members voted the proposal down on the basis that Clydesdale was at least solvent, unlike the recently-evicted Rutherglen side, and a merger would simply add to the debt for which the Clydesdale would be responsible. The