One of the many fascinating stories surrounding our history-making FA Cup success 125 years ago is the tale of how the famous old trophy found its way to a small Ayrshire village in Scotland.
Glenbuck was the birthplace of Alexander ‘Sandy’ Tait and Alexander ‘Sandy’ Brown, two players who were instrumental in our success at the start of the 20th century. Once a thriving coal-mining community, whose population never exceeded around 1,700 people, the village was known as ‘the nursery of footballers’ and produced an extraordinary roll call of around 50 professional footballers, including our two Sandys and Liverpool legend Bill Shankly.Shortly after our 3-1 win over Sheffield United in 1901, which made us the first and still only non-league club to lift the FA Cup, it is said that Tait and Brown returned home to Glenbuck with the trophy itself.
According to local tradition, the cup was placed on display in the window of the village Co-operative store for the community to admire. While some details of the story are difficult to verify with complete certainty, contemporary newspaper reports support the account of the trophy being taken to Scotland.
There is, however, no doubt about Glenbuck’s remarkable footballing heritage. The local side, first known as Glenbuck Athletic and later as the Glenbuck Cherrypickers, produced seven Scottish internationals, while the village as a whole turned out around 50 professional players, including four FA Cup winners. Among them were Brown and Tait, who both played their part in one of the most celebrated triumphs in our history.
Glenbuck also produced Bill Shankly, who would go on to become one of Liverpool’s greatest managers, winning three league titles, two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup. Remarkably, all five of the Shankly brothers played professionally.
The life and times of Shankly and Glenbuck are told in the excellent book Shankly’s Village: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Glenbuck and its Famous Sons by Adam Powley and Robert Gillian, which also includes material on Brown and Tait.
Brown’s goals went a long way towards helping us lift the FA Cup in 1901. He became the first player to score in every round of the competition and netted 15 times that season, including in both final matches. He had first made his name with Glenbuck Athletic, where he earned the nickname ‘The Glenbuck Goalgetter’.
Tait, meanwhile, was one of 13 children and also began his footballing life with Glenbuck Athletic, combining the game with work as a pitboy in the coal mines. After spells with Ayr, Motherwell and Preston North End, he joined Tottenham in 1899. Known as ‘Terrible Tait’ for the force of his tackling, he played in all eight of our FA Cup ties in 1900-01.
Although Glenbuck is no longer the thriving mining village it once was, the site is now home to the Glenbuck Heritage Village, which includes a sign dedicated to Sandy Tait and Sandy Brown and their role in Tottenham’s 1901 FA Cup triumph. Brought forward through the efforts of the THIS IS GLENBUCK group and funded by East Ayrshire Council and SMRT, the sign helps preserve that connection and gives Spurs supporters in Scotland a place where this remarkable shared history can still be discovered.