Club History

Preston Athletic was formed as a by-product of the mining community of prestonpans when the miners of Preston Grange and Preston Links gave a penny out of their wages every week to keep it going. The whole of the coal industry was shut down in Prestonpans in the 1960s and Preston was left to fend for itself like many other Junior Clubs in the Lothians. Preston is probably the only part of that era left in Prestonpans with the exception of the mining museum at Preston Grange .

Preston Athletic first took the field as a Junior Football Club in season 1945/46. Its founder members were Mr.T Watters, Adam Boyd, Alec Boyd, Willie Hutchison, Matt McCauley and Hugh Raltoun. The Players and committee being almost entirely from the local mining community of Prestonpans, it was appropriate that the Club should take over the pitch vacated by the recently defunct Prestongrange Rovers. The pitch was situated close by the Prestongrange Colliery where many of them were employed. Unfortunately the Club pavilion was burned down in 1948 and the teams were forced to change in the "Black Bull" Public House, which once stood in the High Street about half a mile from the pitch.

Keeping their close links with mining, the Club moved in 1950 to a more suitable pitch at Preston Links Park. This had been vacated by Thorntree United and was adjacent to the other large Colliery in the area. This period was probably the best in the Club`s history when large crowds were attracted to the games. In the early 1960`s, following the closure of the Colliery, this area was earmarked for the building of Cockenzie Power Station by the South of Scotland Electricity Board and the Club found itself on the move again, this time to settle at its present home in Pennypit Park. The facility was on the site of the former Penny Pit, one of the oldest mines in the area, although by this time less of the Club players were miners.

The Club`s very first professional coach was Paddy Buckley Senior, whose son, Paddy Junior went on from Preston Athletic to play for Hibs, Motherwell and Scotland. Tommy Nisbet was the trainer at this time and the first manager was bill inglis. Over the years many more players have gone on to play at a professional level with Clubs such as Southend, Raith Rovers, Workington, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Dunfermline, Berwick Rangers, Stenhousemuir, Hearts, Celtic and East Stirling.

Several honours were gained at the Club, most in the 1940`s and 50`s, the most recent being the Alec Jack Cup in season 94/95, in which we beat Craigroyston in the final.

No Club such as ours could survive without a steady influx of young players from our own youth system and other local juvenile teams. We are much indebted to and reliant on teams such as Drummohr, Hutchison vale, Salveson B.C. Easthouses and all the other Juvenile Clubs in the area especially our own Boys Club. Preston Athletic hope to provide a stepping stone for more youths to achieve recognition in their chosen sport of Football.

The Club turned Senior in 1994 when we were accepted as a member of the East of Scotland Football League. In 1995 we applied for and was accepted as a member of The Scottish Football Association. During season 1999/2000 Preston applied for one of the two vacant Scottish Football League positions, but were rejected in favour of Peterhead F.C. and Elgin F.C. The Club tried again in may 2002 after Airdrieonians went out of business, but was again unsuccessful. The Scottish league voted for Gretna to join their ranks, and they have been proved to be very successful.

On the 7th of December 2002 Preston made history when they played Hamilton Accademical at home in the first round of the Scottish Cup.This was the first time that preston had qualified for the Scottish Cup since becoming members 6 years previously.It was also the first time that a Club from East Lothian had taken part in the Cup. We were promoted to the East of Scotland Premier after winning the first division League in 2001-2 then going on to win the Image Printers Cup and City Cup in 2003-4.

The club again made a wee bit of history in season 2005-6 when we drew Gretna in the first round of the Scottish Cup. Gretna went on to the final only to get beat by Hearts. Preston were the only team to take 2 goals off them in the Scottish Cup.

2006-7 and history is made yet again, when we won our first ever Scottish Cup game against 3rd division Stenhousemuir. We also went to the final of the Qualifying Cup against Annan Athletic.

In 2007-8 our Scottish Cup participation ended at the first hurdle with a 3-1 defeat to Golspie Sutherland.

For the Supporters, 11th April 2009 was the day that the Supporters Club was officially opened when we played Easthouses Lily.

Club History

1945    Formed joined Edinburgh and District Junior League    

1994      Turned Senior joined East of Scotland League

1995      Member of Scottish Football Association

2000, 2002 and 2008 applied for full Scottish League membership
 
 
Club Records

Record Attendance:
1500 v Hamilton 7/12/02 Scottish Cup
Most Club Appearances:
Craig Scott
Most Club Goals:
Dale McCall 80
Most Goals scored in a season:
Stuart Miller 29 (2008/09)
Most Goals in a match:
Dale McCall (6) 14/2/02 6-0 v Coldstream
Biggest Win (at home):
7-0 17/3/01 v Heriot-Watt Univ, League
Biggest Win (away):
1-7 07/3/09 v Hawick R A, League Cup  
 
Club Honours

1951/52 Thorntree Shield Final Runners Up

1973/74 East Division B 4th place

(Promoted behind Tranent, Fauldhouse & Dunbar)
1975/76 East Division B 3rd place
(Promoted behind Dunbar and Polkemmet)
1981/82 Brown (Robertson's Homes) Cup Winners

(Tranent 2-0 @ Musselburgh) 
1984/85 St Michaels Cup Runners Up

(Linlithgow Rose 1-0 @ Tynecastle)
1986/87 Laidlaw Leage East B Division Runners Up
(Promoted behind Bathgate)

Turned Senior 1994.
11-12-94 Alex Jack Cup Winners
(Craigroyston 2-0 @ Rosewell)
1994/95 East of Scotland 1st Div Runners up
(Promoted behind Pencaitland)
2001/02 East of Scotland 1st Div Champions
(Promoted)
18-01-04 Image Printers Cup Winners
(Edinburgh City 2-1 @ Saughton)
30-03-04 City Cup Winners
(Berwick Rangers 3-2 @ Pennypit)
14-05-06 Image Printers Cup Runners up
(Spartans 6-4 aet @ Civil Service)
11-11-06 Scottish Qualifying Cup South Runners up
(Annan Ath 3-1 @ Motherwell)
31-05-09 League Cup Runners up
(Dalbeattie Star 2-0 @ Selkirk)

The Pennypit

Preston Athletic moved to Pennypit Park in the early 1960’s from their previous ‘home’ of Preston Links Park . The move was forced on the club when the South of Scotland Electricity Board bought the land for the building of Cockenzie Power Station.

The Prestonpans area and the ready supply of coal brought the area one of the first ‘Coal Charters’ granted in 1202, many pits were situated around the town and the current sports complex is situated on one of the oldest.

The story goes that the miners were paid a penny a shift and therefore it became known as ‘The Penny Pit’. When the pit closed all buildings and machinery were removed, the pit shaft filled in and the area was left to nature. Thus quickly becoming a favourite play area for the local children who used the large coal bing left behind for various adventures!! The coal bing was removed in the early fifties and made way for a football pitch with a shale running track surrounding it.   

In 1970 Preston Lodge Rugby Club took over the site of the old British Legion on Rope Walk (now a mound of rubble itself) and as a result the Council also provided a rugby pitch alongside the existing football pitch on the east side of the park. Many opposition goalkeepers must have wondered what was happening as 30 rugby players ran past their goal from the changing rooms in the rugby club towards the rugby field.

Very little was improved during the preceding years, some drainage work took place in the early 70’s a pavilion added in 1979 and who can forget the concrete dugouts which faced onto the present rugby stand, the dugouts offered the only shelter available on match days and could get quite crowded, a number of managers also cracked their heads on the thick stone roofs!!!!

In 1990 led by the rugby club a series of meetings were held to try and attract more youth to get involved in local sport and from there the concept of the Pennypit complex was born, the first meeting of the Pennypit Trust took place in June 1991. The idea was simple to create a sports complex that could be used by and benefit the local community offering facilities to those who had ambition in sport but also making access to schools and other groups who did not have such ready access to sporting facilities.

The Pennypit Trust raised over half a million pounds from various grants available including a European Community scheme to support projects in former coal mining areas. Then in late 1992 work started on the complex by local based firm Hart Builders. The football and rugby clubs moved home temporarily to Meadowmill and the Mary Murray parks during the work.

The initial phase was completed in early 1994 and the official opening was presided over by the then Labour leader John Smith on 9^th April 1994.