Whitehill Welfare F.C.

Whitehill Welfare
Full name Whitehill Welfare Football Club
Founded 1953 (1953)
Ground Ferguson Park, Rosewell
Ground Capacity 4,000 (150 seated)
Chairman Alan Ramsay
Manager David Bingham
League Lowland League
2015–16 Lowland League, 8th

Whitehill Welfare Football Club is a football club based in the village of Rosewell, Midlothian, Scotland. They are members of the Lowland Football League and play their home matches at Ferguson Park. The club was founded in 1953 and initially competed in juvenile football before turning senior and joining the East of Scotland Football League in 1979. They are the most successful side in East of Scotland League history, winning a total of 16 titles prior to joining the Lowland League as one of its founder members in 2013.

History

The earliest records of Whitehill Welfare indicate that the team first appeared in the 1905–06 season under the name Rosewell Rosedale, replacing the defunct Rosedale Rovers, and playing in the Midlothian Juvenile League. The highlight of this team's life, it appears, was to reach the Scottish Juvenile Cup Final, and an incident in August 1939 where the police investigated an attack on the Rosewell goalkeeper, accused of letting the side down during a 10–2 defeat.

Although Rosedale continued operating until 1957, it was in 1953 that Whitehill Welfare were formed, the founding fathers being a group of employees from the now defunct Whitehill Colliery. In the early years, Whitehill were the chopping block for the more fancied clubs. Although reaching the Scottish Juvenile Cup semi-final in 1959, they did not really come to the fore until 1964, when they won every trophy in the Mid and East Lothian Section Juvenile League.

Whitehill Welfare (claret and blue shirts) playing against East Stirlingshire in the second round of the 2014–15 Scottish Cup.

By 1979, there were only six Juvenile clubs left in Whitehill's league, and so the Welfare decided it was time for it to go senior. This resulted in the team joining the East of Scotland Football League in August 1979, a league which they were to top at the end of their first four seasons. Membership of the Scottish Football Association also has the advantage of allowing the club the opportunity compete in the Scottish Cup. In this competition, Whitehill Welfare have knocked out Albion Rovers (1986–87), earned replays against three SFL sides, and seen perhaps the team's finest hour, meeting Celtic on 28 January 1996 in the 1995–96 Scottish Cup. The game saw Whitehill Welfare hold Celtic to 0–0 until the 39th minute and saw a respectable 3–0 defeat.

The 2012–13 season saw the return of the successful manager of the 1990s, Mike Lawson, who guided the team to their first ever SFA South Region Challenge Cup, and completed the double by winning an unprecedented 16th East of Scotland League title. The club joined the Lowland Football League in 2013.

Staff and Committee members

Honours

Senior football
1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2012–13
1980–81, 1986–87, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05
2012–13, 2015–16
1980–81, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2008–09, 2013–14
1993–94, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2013–14
1982–83, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
1987–88, 1998–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–2008, 2011–12
Juvenile football
1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1977–78
1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1977–78
1964–65, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75
1964–65, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1977–78
1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75
1964–65, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75
1974–75, 1975–76
1974–75, 1977–78
1965, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977
1967–68, 1969–70 (joint winners)

References

  1. ↑ "Bingham is new boss at Whitehill Welfare". Midlothian Advertiser. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
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