Angus Football Club was an association football club from Forfar in Scotland. Although it was entirely unsuccessful as a club, it was instrumental in the formation of Forfar Athletic.
The club was founded in 1880. Although the first club senior club in the town, it remained a small outfit for the first half of its existence; with 25 members in 1882, it was still the smallest senior club in Forfarshire.
Angus first entered the Scottish Cup in 1882âÂÂ83, losing at home to Balgay 1âÂÂ0, a second Balgay goal not being allowed as the goalposts had been knocked down in the struggle around the ball.
A one-goal defeat was Angus' best result in the competition. In 1883âÂÂ84 the club went down 9âÂÂ0 at the strong Dundee Harp side, and in the following season 5âÂÂ1 at home to Dundee Strathmore. Angus was just as unsuccessful in its two Forfarshire Cup entries, losing 3âÂÂ0 at home to Tay Bank of Dundee - a junior side - in 1884âÂÂ85 and 2âÂÂ0 at home to West End in 1885âÂÂ86.
Angus strengthened in September 1883 by taking over the Forfar East End junior club, the East End side becoming the Angus second XI, taking on the name of Angus Athletic. This meant that by 1884 Angus had 37 members, but was still much smaller than any of the Dundee clubs. The Angus Athletic took part in junior and second XI competitions in the county; in 1884âÂÂ85 the Athletics finished as runner-up in the Forfarshire Second XI cup, losing 4âÂÂ1 to the Dundee Harp reserves in the final.
The Athletics also occasionally played senior sides in friendlies. In 1884âÂÂ85, the Athletics played the nearby Lindertis side on at least three occasions, with wins of 4âÂÂ2 and 6âÂÂ1 (at home) and 7âÂÂ0 away.
Senior football grew hugely in Forfar in 1885. Angus increased its membership to 60. However, towards the end of the season, the Angus Athletic split away to form a new club, Forfar Athletic. Its last match as Angus Athletic was a 5âÂÂ4 win over the Alpine club of Arbroath on 2 May 1885; its first recorded match as Forfar Athletic was against Our Boys Rangers of Dundee on 16 May 1885. The Forfar match secretary (James Black) had been the East End secretary in 1883, and Angus' honorary secretary the previous season. The new club acquired 40 members before the 1885âÂÂ86 season started.
The Athletics joined the Forfarshire Football Association in June, alongside the Angus. The key match between the sides came in the first round of the 1885âÂÂ86 Scottish Cup. It was Forfar's first match in the competition; it proved to be Angus' last. Angus had warmed up for the match with a rare big win the previous week, 5âÂÂ1 at Dalhousie, and took the lead in the tie, but did not take enough advantage of having the conditions in its favour in the first half, and went down 3âÂÂ1. On the Forfar side, eight of the players - Ogilvie, Christie, Stormont, Smith, Menzies, Anderson, Samson, and Lamond - had played for Angus Athletic in the Second XI Cup final the previous season, and one more player (Black) was the Forfar nominated umpire for the tie. None of the Angus Athletic players was playing for Angus.
The result of the tie switched momentum to the new club. By 1886, Angus was stuck on 60 members, while the Athletic had risen to 150 members, and was one of the biggest clubs in the county. The nail was driven in in the Forfarshire Cup; Angus went out in the first round while Forfar reached the semi-final.
Angus nearly had one slight moment of retribution against Forfar, in a friendly on 7 November 1885 at Station Park, in which Angus was 3âÂÂ1 up at half-time and still 4âÂÂ3 up early in the second half; however, the play was "brought to an abrupt conclusion" and the match abandoned.
Given this sweeping rise of a rival club, Angus shut up shop. its final reported match was a 7âÂÂ2 defeat at Montrose in November 1885, and it was struck off the association membership roll for non-payment of subscriptions in August 1886.
The club played in 2" hooped blue and black jerseys and hose, with white knickers.
The club's ground was originally at Bankhead Farm, 5 minutes' walk from Forfar railway station owned by Andrew Christie. When the club decided to move, it presented Mr Christie with a portrait. The Angus Athletic reserves played on Market Muir.
In the 1884âÂÂ85 season, the club moved to Station Park, shared with the new Forfar Athletic club. The first match reported match played there, with the "wet and sloppy" pitch described as "a field behind the station", was an Angus Athletic game against Partick Thistle at the start of 1885, which ended in a 1âÂÂ1 draw.