Not for the first time does the "association " code visit the Annieslands with the arrival of the Rangers Youth Tournament at Old Anniesland today for it was only last week that the Ian St John Soccer Academy took place at New Anniesland

You may think this a new development but no as is revealed in an excellent book released this week penned by Gary Ralston of the Daily Record called "The Gallant Pioneers"

In it he recounts the time when Glasgow Accies and Rangers shared a ground at Burnbank and an early rugby columnist who wrote in the Scottish Athletic Journal in the 1880s under the name of The Lounger said "when I used to go to Burnbank witnessing the rugby games that were played there I always strolled over to the easternmost end of that capacious enclosure to see the Rangers play and I was never disappointed.They were a much finer team then than they are now"

That might have had some bearing on the fact that Queens Park once asked Accies to send players for the trial to pick the Scotland team to play England in the first official "soccer" international against England in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent Partick

With one of Scotland's greatest players Alan Morton born at Old Anniesland- founder school influence today at both ends of Soccers M8 in the form of Martin Bain at Ibrox and SFA Vice president Campbell Ogilvie at Hearts-,John Beattie's daughter Jenifer capped for Scottish Women- and Queen of the South in recent times having a training base at Windyedge Anniesland can lay claim to supporting both codes

This article was originally posted on 23-Jul-2009, 08:19 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 23-Jul-2009, 09:06.