On 5 January 1869 a group of young men in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock met to organise something to do over the winter. Kilmarnock turns 158 on 5 January 2027 and is regarded as the oldest professional club in Scotland. Its story begins, oddly enough, with cricket and rugby.

A winter hobby for cricket players

The founders were mostly friends and former pupils of Kilmarnock Academy who played cricket in summer and were looking for a sport for the cold months. They played on Barbadoes Green, a field that is now part of Howard Park.

The first games used rules closer to rugby than to football. In fact, the first known match was a 0-0 draw against a side from the local cricket club, played to rugby rules with 11 players a side.

A date still up for debate

The official founding date, which the club celebrates, is 5 January 1869. It comes from a newspaper advert for a general meeting at Robertson's Temperance Hotel, placed by secretary John Wallace.

No minutes of that meeting survive, however, and the first recorded minutes date from 25 October 1872. That is why historians disagree, with some arguing for 1868 or 1872.

From rugby to football

In 1873 Kilmarnock was one of the eight clubs that founded the Scottish Football Association. In October that year it played in the very first match of the Scottish Cup, losing 2-0 to Renton with ten men.

Rugby left its mark in the name of the ground, Rugby Park. The first ground with that name was shared by cricket and rugby teams, and when the club moved to its present home in 1899, it took the name with it.

Blue, white and two squirrels

Blue became the official colour in 1873, and the first known kit, in 1879, was an all-blue jersey with white trousers. Between 1887 and 1890 the team tried black and white stripes, before settling on the blue and white stripes or hoops it still wears today.

The crest shows a ball with a hand raised in blessing between two red squirrels, topped by the Latin motto 'Confidemus', meaning 'we trust'. The motto echoes that of the Scottish Clan Boyd, which also inspired the old emblem.

For the club's 150th anniversary in 2019, Kilmarnock wore a special plain dark-blue shirt for one season, a tribute to its earliest kits. The squirrels are not just on the badge, either: the club mascot is a squirrel called Captain Conker.

The miracle of Tynecastle

The greatest day in its history was 24 April 1965. Going into the last round Hearts were top, and Kilmarnock had to win in Edinburgh by two clear goals to take the title.

Davie Sneddon and Brien McIlroy scored within minutes of each other, and a stoppage-time save by Bobby Ferguson preserved the 2-0. Under manager Willie Waddell, 'Killie' won their only league title by just 0.042 on goal average.

The trophy cabinet also holds three Scottish Cups (1920, 1929, 1997), with Paul Wright scoring in the 1997 final against Falkirk. The 2012 League Cup followed, with Dieter Van Tornhout's goal sealing a 1-0 win over Celtic at Hampden Park.

Among the club's legends are all-time top scorer Willie Culley, Alan Robertson, who holds the league appearance record, and Kris Boyd.

Celebrate with us

Few clubs in the world can say they played in their country's very first cup match. Happy 158th birthday, Killie!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Kilmarnock FC's Rugby Park – Leslie Barrie, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.