Carfin Shamrock F.C.

Another blow was losing the right to play at Byresknowes Park at the end of the 1890–91 season, which seems to have caused a split in the club; not only did this result in the formation of a new club, Carfin Hibernians, wearing the same green and white (albeit with hoops rather than stripes), and who managed to secure Byres Knowe Park for the season,[13] ), but two Carfin Shamrocks. One Shamrock was led by a Mr Johnston (who had the minute books and papers, and a ground lease near to the Hibernians' ground), and one Shamrock led by a Mr R Timmeny (who had lately been elected secretary of the Shamrock and claimed to have found a new ground), with both claiming the right to play under the Shamrock name. Mr Timmeny won the argument, partly on the basis that the Lanarkshire FA thought Mr Johnston might have been running a sham operation in order to secure the status of the Hibernians, so Mr Johnson was ordered to call his club Carfin Unknowns, and membership to the Lanarkshire FA was refused; no more is heard of his operation.[14]

The Hibernians' first competitive match - at Linthouse F.C. in the Scottish Cup - was a 12–0 defeat.[15] Shamrock did not enter the competition, given the confusion over the club's status; after the Timmeny faction had won out, the club was allowed back into the Scottish Football Association, and did try to enter the Scottish Cup at the third qualifying round, but was refused permission to do so.[16]

Although there were reports that the two clubs had "rubbed noses" at the end of the 1891–92 season, the Shamrock and the Hibernians still ran separate operations.[17] In the 1892–93 Cup competition, Shamrock did enter again, losing 4–2 at Airdrieonians F.C. in the third qualifying stage; Hibernians lost 10–0 at Albion Rovers, who played almost the entire game with 10 men, but "cribbed, cabined, and confined the Hibernians throughout" and "had some fun with them".[18] In 1893–94 things were even worse; Shamrock scratched without playing and Hibernians lost 11–1 at Cowlairs F.C., having sold home advantage[19] for a £6 guarantee and some players playing in their ordinary clothing.[20]

The Hibernians do not seem to have survived into 1894–95, but Shamrock, using the simple name Carfin at the start of the season, and returning to its traditional ground, had something of an Indian summer, with a surprise 5–3 win at an unsettled Albion Rovers in the first round of the Scottish Qualifying Cup,[21] and holding Kilmarnock F.C. to a 4–4 draw in the second round, before going out 4–2 in the replay. Shamrock's very last match was a 7–3 defeat at Airdrieonians in the final of the Airdrie Charity Cup, at the end of the 1894–95 season, not helped by having to use substitutes in place of three players who had not turned up.[22] The club did not pay its subscription to the Scottish Football Association for the 1895–96 season and was therefore struck off the register.[23] The club was not revived, players joining other local clubs, Mason and M'Farlane for example joining Airdrieonians.[24]

The club's first Lanarkshire Cup tie in 1885–86 saw the Shamrock beat Royal Albert F.C. by 9 goals to 1. However the Royalists protested that Shamrock had "borrowed" three players from Alpha F.C. of Motherwell who were Cup-tied, having already played in the Scottish Cup for Alpha, and therefore were not eligible for the competition. The match was replayed and Royal Albert won 6–0.[25]

The Shamrock gained an early notoriety for violence on the pitch. In the club's first Scottish Cup run, Shettleston F.C. protested unsuccessfully about rough play after Carfin had won in their first round tie, and Airdrieonians F.C. also did so after their second round tie; the Plains F.C. also protested after their Lanarkshire Cup tie in the same season, after a match which saw the Shamrock introduce "the game of fisticuffs" after the Plains left-half-back had been carried off with a broken leg after a foul on him.[26] Slightly ironically, Airdrieonians had beaten Shamrock 3–2 in the second round of the Scottish Cup, but the Scottish FA reversed the result on considering two counter-protests from Shamrock; firstly, that the winning goal had come when there were some people on the pitch, and, secondly, one of the Onians (Sharp, who had "quarrelled with the Clyde", and whose identity the Clyde club apparently passed on to the Shamrock[27]) had not been registered with the club for the required one month before the tie.[28]

After losing 11–0 at Morton in the fourth round, Shamrock protested against the Greenock side's rough play; however the referee gave evidence that "any rough play came at the hands of the Shamrock half-backs", and the Shamrock lost its 10s protest deposit.

In the 1889–90 Lanarkshire Cup, the Shamrock beat Wishaw Thistle F.C. 9–1 in a replay, but an appeal (seemingly because of a delay to the kick-off for want of a ball[29]) saw another replay, which also ended in a draw; with the competition stalled, Wishaw proposed re-drawing the second round in toto, and, when that was voted down, withdrew.[30] Shamrock lost its second round tie at Royal Albert and protested against the state of the ground, and that the umpires were neutral;[31] this protest was dismissed.[32]

A different type of controversy came out of the club's triumph in the Coatbridge Express Trophy in 1889–90. This competition was later known as the Lanarkshire Consolation Cup and was for clubs who had been knocked out of the Lanarkshire Cup in the early rounds. For the final of the Trophy against Motherwell F.C., Carfin borrowed four reserves from Celtic F.C., who had only played second XI football during the season, so were not barred by the rules of the Lanarkshire Cup. Carfin duly won 4–1 and survived a protest, although the relevant tournament rule was amended afterwards to prevent players who had played in second XI tournaments from playing for other clubs.[33] As a consequence of the rule change, the Shamrock refused to defend its trophy[34] after losing 7–1 to Airdrieonians in the main competition's semi-final.[35]

The club's new ground in 1892 caused problems because of the pitch markings; both Airdriehill F.C. and Motherwell protested Cup defeats, the former on the basis that the touchlines were not in place (and also that local fans threw stones at the players as they left the village),[36] the latter on the basis that the centre circle and the six yard penalty curves around the posts were missing, but there were lines across the pitch at the 6, 12, and 18 yard lines.[37]

One unfortunate incident in 1886 which was not the club's fault was that many spectators who had attended a match advertised as Fence Rovers v Carfin Shamrock at Kirkmuirhill were disappointed to find that the visiting club was not the Carfin Shamrock, but the Craigneuk Shamrock; the Fence Rovers secretary had not known there were two Shamrock sides in the same area.[38]