Hawick Royal Albert
Albert Park, Mansfield,
Hawick
,
Founded in 1947 following a breakaway from Hawick Railway F.C., a number of players in these early “Albert†days were from the local Denholm Village team and they initially competed in the Border Amateur League. The founder members of the club were Harry Weir and William Bunton, and the name “Royal Albert†was derived from Bunton who hailed from Larkhall; Larkhall Royal Albert, the town's local team, were founded in 1878 by a mine-owner who also owned a ship called “Royal Albertâ€.
Hawick were to win various amateur competitions, including their first ever silverware in 1947–48, the Border Amateur League Championship. The first team captain was Andy Cameron, a prolific goalscorer who bagged most of his goals poaching in and around the 6 yard box.
The club played its home matches at Wilton Lodge Park before moving to Albert Park in 1963, and were subsequently inspected and became full members of the Scottish Football Association a short time later. Hibernian were the visitors when Albert Park was officially opened. The stand at the ground was constructed from the steel remnants of the Wilson & Glenny woollen factory, which had been destroyed by fire in 1959. The Club later installed floodlights at Albert Park and Celtic were the visitors when the lights were officially unveiled in November 1981; included in the visiting team that night were players such as Charlie Nicholas and David Moyes.
In recent years, Hawick have played almost exclusively in the second tier of the East of Scotland Football League, frequently struggling to avoid finishing at the foot of the league.
In September 2009, Hawick Royal Albert became part of a match fixing probe after they lost 7–0 in a Scottish Cup tie against Huntly.[1] Nothing was proven.
Whilst the Albert remained at the bottom of the league for season 2011-12, the arrival of a new management team and the signing of a new team resulted in improving performances. The instant success of Lawrie Dunn sparked calls for the gaffer to be knighted. However, Dunn later revealed to HRA TV that he would decline such an honour. This culminated in a 7-3 victory versus Berwick Rangers Reserves on 21st April, notable for 3 hat tricks scored in total. The team have partly attributed their improvement to their vocal support, the Hawick Ultras.
Lately, the club have appointed Graeme Chadwick as manager and his side sit off the bottom of the table
