Dig into turbulent history of football
OVERLOOKED by high rise flats and a short kick of the ball from the national stadium, Cathkin Park is the final resting place for a slice of football history and symbol of how the once mighty can fall.
Had things turned out differently, this year may have seen its terraces packed for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the team which called it their home ground.
Instead, Third Lanark AC, a champion winning side and founder member of both the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Football League, stuttered and died in 1967.
And Cathkin Park, the site of the second Hampden Park and also former home of Queens Park, with its eerie, overgrown terracing, became a poignant reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in the fickle world of football.
Now in a bid to reveal some of its glorious past, archaeologists are set to carry out a series of excavations at the historic football ground which it’s hoped will uncover some of its long-hidden features and artefacts from its heyday.
The excavations will see a series of trenches dug in the area of the original pavilion, grandstand and terraces, in search of clues as to how they were originally constructed, and evidence of the people who once gathered in them to support and play the beautiful game. It’s hoped the exploration will help point researchers towards the location of the original centre spot, penalty spot, pitch outline and goal posts.
As well as seeking out archaeological remains of the football ground, the project will examine the area around Cathkin Park for any lingering traces of how it was once a focal point for some of the nation’s most important football fixtures.
The dig, which will span two weeks this month, follows a smaller scale excavation at the ground in 2017. Items uncovered then alerted archaeologists to the potential of further exploration.
It is also part of a wider effort to explore the origins of football in a square-mile area of the Southside, which encompasses the first, second and third Hampden parks and Cathcart Cemetery, the final resting place for the architects of the “Scotch Game”, credited with teaching the world how to play football.
Dr Paul Murtagh, senior project officer at Archaeology Scotland, said it’s hoped the latest excavation will uncover tangible evidence that helps to bring the story behind Third Lanark and the ground’s place in Scottish football history to life.
“You never know what you will find until you do it, hopefully there will be some nice stuff there,” he added. “It’s a unique place.”
You never know what you will find until you do it, I hope there will be some nice stuff there