Broxburn is a town in West Lothian, 12 miles west of Edinburgh, originally a small village known as Easter Strathbock. It was known as Broxburn by the 17th century and developed rapidly during the industrial revolution in shale oil extraction. Nowadays, new residential development has seen the town grow and form a conurbation with neighbouring Uphall.
The name Broxburn comes from "brock's burn" - brock being an old Scots name for a badger and burn being a Scottish word for a large stream or small river.
The 3 Broxburn Bings - Greendikes Bing, Albion Oil Works Bing and Hopetoun Bing - reside on the north east of the town, created by large piles of spoil from the shale mines being dumped on top of each over to form. The largest of the three Bings is the Greendykes Bing which when scaled provides panoramic views of the area.
Broxburn Athletic Football Club was reformed in 1947 and played within the Junior setup until switching to the seniors in 2018. The Badgers reached the Scottish Junior Cup semi-final on five occasions, the last time being in 1971 when they lost by a single goal to eventual winners Cambuslang Rangers.
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East Region League champions: 1972–73, 1973–74
East Region Division B champions: 1978–79
East Region Lothian District Division Two champions: 2003–04, 2005–06
East Region South Division champions: 2009–10
East of Scotland Junior Cup: 1950–51, 1987–88
East Region League Cup: 1952–53, 1954–55, 1972–73
Broxburn won the East of Scotland League Conference C in their debut season, but narrowly missed out on promotion to the Lowland league in the round robin playoff against the winners of the other Conferences, Penicuik Athletic and Bonnyrigg Rose. The club became a full SFA member in 2019 which allowed them to enter the 2019-20 Scottish Cup.
Albyn Park
Albyn Place,
Broxburn
EH52 5BY
Capacity 2,050
Record Attendance: 11,400 v Kilsyth Rangers, 1951-52 Scottish Junior Cup
In 1946, Mr. G. W. Bartaby-Pearson, with the help of local businessmen, began reforming a new football club in Broxburn and in the process secured Albyn Park from the Earl of Buchan. After help from supporters with ground improvements, the venue opened in 1948 with a match between Heart of Midlothian and Rangers, which attracted a crowd of around 3,500.
The ground is on the site of the original Albion Park used by Broxburn F.C. in 1889. The original Athletic took over the lease in 1894 until both clubs amalgamated in 1912 and moved to the sports park. Athletic then moved back in 1921 until going out of business in 1924, and the reformed club have played there ever since.
Albyn Park was completely redeveloped in 2009–10 as part of the Broxburn United Sports Club project into a new community facility with a 3G artificial pitch, new changing rooms, a social club and floodlights. The original large enclosure is near the entrance on the same side as the changing rooms. The remainder of the ground has grass banking with park bench seats along the top.
Broxburn Athletic 1(Brass 69)
Haddington Athletic 4(G.McGarry 29 Thomas 38 Peffers 56,64)
EoS Premier Division matchday 29
9th v 8th
Att.210
Spondoolicks;
Admission £8
Steak, haggis and peppercorn sauce pie £2.50(superb!)
Tea £1
Broxburn were well beaten in their final home fixtures of the season. Guy McGarry robbed the centre-half after he miscontrolled a pass to race through and score, then Thomas tapped in their second in the 38th minute.
A brace from Robbie Prefers made it 0-4 after 64 minutes, his second goal rounding off a swift passing move from the away side. Five minutes later Gary Brass got the hosts on the scoresheet, but they were unable to build a comeback.
#Heedhopper
136 miles door-to-door
0738 Cross Country train Newcastle - Edinburgh Waverley
X18 bus Princes Street to Broxburn at 1305.
The annual end of season meeting in Edinburgh involving the Geordie, the Cockney and the Jock was one shy this year, with our Scottish pal off to Germany to escape the coronation. The traditional Edinburgh pub crawl saw us supping in Mather's, Cask & Barrel on Broughton Street, St. Vincent Bar and the Black Cat before hopping on the bus to Broxburn.
There's not a pub to be had in the town so on returning to Edinburgh we called into Sandy Bell's, The Southsider and the Auld Hoose before I took the 1900 train home.