Camelon Juniors FC

Camelon Juniors Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Camelon, in the Falkirk district. The team plays in the East of Scotland League Premier Division, the sixth tier of Scottish football, having moved from the junior leagues in 2018. Despite this move, the club has decided to retain the "Juniors" part of its identity. The club have won the Scottish Junior Cup once, in 1995.

History

A previous Camelon side had existed in the Junior grade from 1906 to 1910, however the current club were formed in 1920. This Camelon Juniors side initially competed in Stirlingshire competitions but became the easternmost side to join the breakaway Scottish Intermediate League in 1927, ironically joining the West Division of the new set-up. The club resigned from the Intermediates halfway through the 1929–30 season and joined the Scottish Junior League which at the time, contained fellow Stirlingshire sides Dunipace and Kilsyth Rangers. Camelon remained with the SJL up to and including its solitary post-World War II season before moving in 1947 to the Edinburgh & District League.

Camelon made their first appearance in the final of the Scottish Junior Cup in 1952, losing 1–0 to Kilbirnie Ladeside at Hampden Park in front of 69,959 supporters. John Hansen, father of future Scotland internationalists Alan and John, played for the Mariners at centre-half. The club made consecutive final appearances in the 1990s, defeating Whitburn 2–0 at Fir Park, Motherwell in 1995, to lift the trophy for the first time, then losing by the same scoreline to Tayport at the same venue a year later.

The club provided several players to Rangers over the years, including Jerry Dawson and Archie Macaulay, who both went on to become full Scotland internationals with Macaulay going on to play for West Ham United and Arsenal.Max Murray also arrived at Ibrox from Camelon via Queen's Park, and scored Rangers first ever goal in European competition against OGC Nice in 1956. Notable ex-Camelon players in more recen