St Johnstone Origins
Enquiries at the
Local Studies section of the
AK Bell Library have thrown some light on the various
football homes of
St
Johnstone Football Club over the years. The Club was founded in
1885, and the team played its home matches for the first 40 years
at the Recreation Grounds on the Edinburgh Road. It was on 15th
August 1885 that the grounds were opened by Mr John Thomas,
Sheriff-Clerk. The club took its name from the St Johnstone Cricket
Club, one of whose members, a John Colborn, is credited with
creating a footballing arm.
The opposition was Queen's Park, then in the vanguard of Scottish
Football, who beat Our Boys, Dundee 6-0, although "...Our Boys
played an excellent game". Mr Thomas in his opening address, while
supporting the case for private grounds for serious sports clubs,
uttered, amongst others, these words: "Let me express the hope that
in future football will be played with less of the roughness and
fewer of the blemishes that have hitherto marred too many
exhibitions of the game on our Inches, and to add that the best
mode of ensuring success is to deserve it." It's up to current
spectators and players to judge for themselves whether this
aspiration has been fulfilled!
By a strange coincidence, Queen's Park were also the visitors on
league business when Muirton Park was opened on Christmas Day 1924,
the decision to move there having been taken 10 months previously.
The Perthshire Advertiser of 27th December noted: "Not only did the
citizens roll up almost to a man, but our country cousins were
there in large numbers.." (!) Nearly 12,000 people turned out on
what was then still an official working day. Lord Provost Dewar had
marked the opening by cutting a string of holly mounted between two
posts in front of the new grandstand. Saints ran out winners by
2-1.
The move to McDiarmid Park took place in 1989 after Muirton Park
was bought by Asda and the land on which McDiarmid was built had
been given by Bruce McDiarmid, a farmer and Saints fan. The
official opening saw
St
Johnstone pitted against none other than the mighty Manchester
United and Saints were unlucky to go down by 1-0 to a Brian McClair
goal. Saints would appear to be at McDiarmid to stay, at a ground
that is still considered one of the country's finest.
There is a vast store of historical sporting information in the
Local Studies section at the
AK Bell library - old newspapers keep the
St
Johnstone stories alive, together with reports on the great
games. Anyone interested in doing serious or casual research should
contact a member of staff who will be delighted to help.
