Peebles Rovers
Formed 1893. Wound up in 1927 and reformed as a junior team.
Founder member of Scottish Division Three 1923. Joined the Scottish Alliance after Division Three was scrapped in 1926.
Kit History
1893-1894 a b
circa 1894 d
circa 1895 d
circa 1900 d
1904-1908 a b d
1919-1920 c
1922-1923 c
1924-1927 a b
Background
The Royal Burgh of Peebles
is situated in the heart of the Scottish border country about 30 minutes
from Edinburgh and an hour from Glasgow. The football club was formed
in 1893 and joined the Border League in 1902.
Their colours were maroon and white and, as can be seen in the team group on the left, both shirts and jerseys (in a darker shade) were worn. Photographic evidence suggests that jerseys later became standard.
Peebles entered the Scottish FA Cup for the first time in 1907-08 and in 1909 they joined the Scottish Football Union, at the time regarded as the strongest non-league competition in Scotland. The high turnover of clubs, however, led to declining standards and the competition was wound up in 1915.
Rovers rejoined the Border League in 1919, then played in the Eastern League (1921-22) and the Western League (1922-23). In 1923, 11 of the 12 Western League teams were incorporated into the Scottish League as the new Third Division. They had an undistinguished career, finishing 14th (out of 16) and 8th (out of 17) and were lying 15th (out of 16) when the competition was abandoned in 1926 in disarray. The high cost of travel and match guarantees had proved more than the members could afford.
Peebles Rovers joined the Scottish Alliance the following season (1926-27), which was restructured because of the influx of former Third Division teams.
Peebles went out of business in 1927 but were reformed as a junior club, playing in the Midlothian Junior League in 1927-28 in maroon and white. The following season they returned to senior football and joined the Eastern League, where they played until 1963. Between 1963 and 1974 they played once again as a junior club then stepped down into the Border Amateur League (1976-78) before rejoining the East of Scotland League in 1980 as a senior club. They played as Peebles FC until 2010 when they reverted to their original name.
Sources
Photograph is the property of Peebles Rovers FC.
- (a) The Scottish League Clubs - Former Members IV (Norman Nichol 1994)
- (b) Alick Milne
- (c) Peebles Rovers Football Club 1893-2006 (Ian Smith) provided by Alick Milne
- (d) Malcom McGill (Match Secretary Peebles Rovers FC) @rovers1893