| Time line History of Buckie thistle Football Club (courtesy of E Thain Club Historian) BUCKIE THISTLE TIMELINE 1889 – The official formation date of the club but new evidence suggests 1897 instead! 1902 – The Jags shock local football by defeating the ‘mighty’ Elgin City en route to securing the Elgin & District Cup. At the time the Jags wore white shirts and black ‘knickers’. 1908 – The Jags ‘absorb’ local side Buckie Wednesday and adopt their kit of green and white hoops 1909 – After a successful season locally the Jags apply for and are admitted to the Highland League, they lose their first game at home to Caledonian 1911 – Thistle lose to Fraserburgh in the Aberdeenshire Cup Final but post-match the referee boasts about he did everything he could to keep the Jags down. A protest follows but to no avail. 1916 – Pre-war goalkeeper, and a Canadian internationalist, Alex ‘Charlie’ Davidson is tragically killed in the Naval offensive at Ancre 1920 – On April 24th a rousing 5-2 victory over Inverness Citadel at Victoria Park clinches the Jags first Highland League Championship 1922 – January 28th sees the clubs first appearance in the Scottish Cup but despite a goal from Smith they lose 2-1 at home to Royal Albert 1924 –In April a fantastic 3-1 play off win over a powerful Aberdeen ‘A’ side at Victoria Park clinched the Aberdeenshire League 1927 – January 25th sees Scottish Cup glory as goals from Abby Gowie and Geordie Kay clinch a 2-1 win over Fraserburgh at Victoria Park. On February 5th an Abby Gowie double secures a 2-0 home win over Beith to clinch a first Scottish Cup win over a Scottish League side but the run ends at home to Bo’ ness who win 3-0 in the next round. However, there is glory as, away to Inverness Citadel on April 30th, the Jags win 4-2 to clinch their second title and without injured keeper Norman ‘Blimey’ Wood to boot. 1928 – League title number three for the Jags who crush Inverness Thistle 5-1 at Victoria Park on April 21st with George Newlands netting a hat-trick 1934 – Thistle end the wait for more real glory as, incredibly, the clinch the title on FEBRUARY 10th with a 3-0 home win over Peterhead! 1937 – A crushing 6-1 victory over at Keith at Kynoch Park on March 6th clinches title No 4 for the Jags and in April wins in both legs of the final of the Aberdeenshire Cup against Aberdeen University clinch this magnificent trophy for the first time. It is also the first time the Jags have clinched two major trophies in one season. 1939 – March 18th saw the Jags hammer Peterhead 6-1 in the first leg of the Aberdeenshire Cup Final at Victoria Park, George Calder and Joe Allan both netting twice, just as well as the Blue Toon won the second leg 5-1! 1944 – Pre-war star George ‘Kitchy’ Cormack is killed on the Allied assault at Anzio 1946 – The Aberdeenshire Cup resumes and the Jags retain it seven years after winning it by defeating Peterhead 5-4 on aggregate. In August former Rangers and Scotland star Jimmy Simpson, father of Ronnie later of Celtic, becomes a player-coach for the Jags 1949 – A 3-2 semi-final win at Huntly sees the Jags qualify for the Highland League Cup Final for the first time but the final is controversially held over until April 1950 when they lose to Ross County 1952 – The Jags reach their second Highland League Cup Final but lose to Caledonian in a replay. However, there is glory soon after as a 4-3 aggregate victory over Clachnacuddin secures the Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) for the first time 1953 – A crushing 9-4 aggregate win over Deveronvale in April secures the Aberdeenshire Cup for the fourth time. On September 5th the Jags secure the Highland League Cup for the first time with revenge over Caledonian thanks to a 3-2 win at Elgin, Willie Cowie (2) and Jimmy McIntyre scoring. It is the first trophy of a remarkable season when the club becomes only the second team to win the ‘Grand Slam’. Two months on trophy number 2 arrives as they retain the Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) by defeating Inverness Thistle 4-2 on aggregate. 1954 – In February a magnificent display earns the Jags a standing ovation after their Scottish Cup tie against Partick Thistle at Firhill but the ‘Maryhill Magyars’ progress 5-3. March sees the Jags defeat Division C team Brechin City to lift the Dewar Shield. One month on a nervy 2-2 draw at Dingwall secured the championship for the sixth time. The following season sees a new set up in the Scottish Cup and the Jags become the first, and to date, only non-league side to defeat Queens Park at Hampden as goals from Alex Stewart and Willie Cowie secure a 2-1 replay win. 1955 –Due to bad weather a year earlier the 1953/ 54 Aberdeenshire Cup Final is held over to April 1955 and the Jags see off Deveronvale 6-3 on aggregate to complete the Grand Slam! Onto October 1st and a 1-0 win over Peterhead at Banff in a dire League Cup Final secures the trophy for the second time. 1956 – The 1954/ 55 delayed Aberdeenshire Cup Final against Fraserburgh sees the Jags retain the cup but before this they had lost to the same team in the 1955/ 56 competition! The ultimate agony arrives on May 14th when a tragic 2-3 home loss to Elgin City in the title play off costs Thistle the championship. On September 15th the Highland League Cup is retained with a 2-1 win over Caledonian. 1957 – Sweet, sweet revenge for the Jags as a 2-1 win at Elgin on May 4th clinches title No 7 to take the trophy away from Borough Briggs. The Aberdeenshire Cup is won for the sixth time with an 11-5 aggregate win over Fraserburgh albeit one leg is in May and one in September! September 7th also sees the Jags crush Nairn County 5-1 to become the first side to win a hat-trick of League Cups, only Keith FC have matched this since. 1958 – March 1st sees current Scottish Cup holders Falkirk in town for a Scottish Cup tie and with nine minutes left it is 1-1 when Martin Buchan, father of later Aberdeen and Man United star also Martin, crashes the ball home to put Buckie 2-1 up. Falkirk look deflated as the Jags fans go wild but suddenly referee Fitzpatrick steals the limelight by disallowing the goal and the Bairns go up the field and net the winner. The season ends on a high though as, on April 26th, a 3-1 win away to Caledonian secures the title for the eighth time, little did the fans realise that some 51 years later there is still no No 9! In November of that year there is more glory with a 4-3 aggregate win over Fraserburgh in the Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) Final, it would not be won again for a long time! 1960 – The great days have gone but yet another Highland League Cup Final win over Caledonian, 3-1 at Elgin, secures the trophy for the fifth time. 1970 – How the mighty have fallen as the once proud and mighty Jags end season 1969/ 70 with NO wins in the League and 146 goals conceded! 1979 – On a glorious night at Nairn 19 long years of hurt end as a goal from 16-year old schoolboy Gordon Robertson secures a 3-2 League Cup Final win over Inverness Thistle and he remains the youngest scorer in a League Cup final 1980 – The club makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons as their fans are the main protagonists in a riot at the Scottish Qualifying Cup (Final) against Inverness Thistle at Elgin and the fans also disgraced themselves in the town centre and the club was eventually fined £1500. 1985 – After some recent defeats in cup finals the first silverware since 1979 arrives with a 3-0 thumping of Fraserburgh in the Aberdeenshire Cup Final at Buckie on April 13th. 1986 – In the Highland League Cup Final against Ross County at Telford Street Park, Inverness the Jags rampage their way to a 5-0 half-time lead but that is how it finishes as they lift the League Cup for a seventh time 1987 – A brilliant Gary Whyte hat-trick in the Aberdeenshire Cup Final replay at Buckie on April 1st sees Peterhead defeated 3-1 as Thistle win the cup for the eighth time. 1988 – A stunning 4-3 win away to title rivals Caledonian installs the belief that a 30-year wait for the title will end but a home defeat by Peterhead at the end of the month sees the Jags blow it big time. 1992 – A pulsating Aberdeenshire Shield Final at Keith sees the Jags defeat a powerful Huntly side 3-2 to lift the trophy for the first time and their first silverware since 1987 but the club then enters another barren period that lasts 11 years 2003 – The Jags put their fans through the emotional wringer in the Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) Final against Clachnacuddin at Forres. The game goes into extra-time and NINE man Clach go one up! Thankfully John Coutts scored a great goal to take it into penalties. In the latter the Clach keeper can win it for them but misses, the Jags convert their next kick but Clach don’t, cue mass celebrations as this cup is won for the first time since 1958! 2005 – Another dramatic final, this time in the Aberdeenshire Cup sees the Jags and Deveronvale fight out a 2-2 draw after extra-time but in the penalty shoot-out local hero Jamie Shewan blasts home the winning kick to spark mass celebrations 2007 – In September, three months after a crushing defeat by Keith in the League Cup Final, the Jags gain sweet revenge as a goal from Lewis McKinnon secures a 1-0 win in the Aberdeenshire Cup Final at Huntly to make it double figure success in the competition. Two months on, at the same venue, Inverurie Locos are crushed 3-0 in the Aberdeenshire Shield Final, the Jags second success in this. As a result two trophies have been won in the one season for the first time since 1986/ 87 2008 – A quite dreadful display in a shock 3-1 loss away to junior side Banks O Dee in the Aberdeenshire Shield sees the end of Kevin Will in his second stint as boss . Time would tell if the new manager Gregg Carrol would lead Thistle to glory 2009 – September 12th saw the Jags on a final date against Cove Rangers in the Aberdeenshire Cup Final at the Haughs, Turriff. Two goals from Stephen ‘Marra’ Bruce, one of them a quite stunning strike, secured the magnificent trophy for the 11th time. May 2010 – The glory the Jags had been waiting for as a magnificent win away up North over Wick Academy clinched the title for the first time since 1957/ 58! The game was basically won by half time thanks to a superb lob from Martin Charlesworth and a penalty from David MacRae and, just after Wick had two men sent off, Martin Charlesworth rolled in the third and that was that! Mass celebrations followed well into the night, into the following day and in the weeks that followed. The trophy was handed over to proud captain Kevin Small after the final home game against Brora Rangers and major celebrations came a couple of weeks on with a huge event at Victoria Park under a marquee. May 2011 – For a while the defence of the title looked like ending in despair but then a magnificent run took the Jags to a winner-takes-all game against Deveronvale at Victoria Park, the winners being crowned champions. Local lad Mark Chisholm gave Vale a 1-0 half-time lead but soon into the second half a brilliant goal from Martin Charlesworth goal levelled it. After that the more experienced Jags side took command but at 1-1 anything can happen and when Vale got a free-kick in Mike McKenzie range the home fans feared the worst but it was a tame effort. Then, with a minute left, a direct free-kick for the Jags in Andy Low territory and he did not disappoint with a magnificent cous-de-grace strike to win the match and clinch the title and it sent the Jags faithful in the 2600 crowd hysterical with delight! May 2012- The Jags after a disappointing season win the Breedon HFL Cup at Princess Royal park defeating Cove Rangers by 2 goals to nil, Early Goals from Shaun Scott and Captain David MacRae sufficient in a game when Cove hardly troubled the Jags Defence. Little did the crowd know at that time that the manager Gregg Carrol would retire from the game some few weeks later after winning the only cup that had eluded him in his Managerial career, Gary Hake was then days later appointed Manager for season 2012-13 | 