Kelso United F.C. is a senior football club based in Kelso, currently playing in the East of Scotland Football League.
Founded in around 1924, they play their home matches at Woodside Park on Dry House Lane. The first league the club played in was the Border Junior League. Their first notable success at this level was winning the Dudley Cup in 1935. The next season United joined the Berwickshire FA, despite being based in Roxburghshire. Season 1937-38 was very successful for the club, as the Conan Doyle Cup, the Dudley Cup and the league Championship Shield were all added to the Honours list.
Although no one from Kelso at that time became an internationalist, many went to bigger, professional clubs.
After the war Kelso United reformed and entered a 2nd XI into the Kelso and District League, while the main team played in the Border Amateur league. In 1957-58 the club lifted the South of Scotland Cup East section, but lost the overall final to West section winners Broughton.
Season 1959/60 was another good year with the Border Cup and the Acrum 5-a-side competition being annexed.
In the mid-sixties after a massive gap of 29 years, United were once again Border Amateur League champions. Big decisions were made leading up to 1967-68, one was that the first team would join the East of Scotland League and that the second team which had disappeared, would reform and take the first teams place in the Border League. This was a successful move as the United team were League and King Cup runners-up. In 1971 the club decided to work more on bringing in local players, but this was not sustainable and they left the East of Scotland League. However, back in the Amateur League the club flourished, conquering the Beveridge Cup as well as the South of Scotland Cup. In 1974 they won the Border Cup.
By 1974-75 the club felt ready to rejoin the East of Scotland League, and in 1980 won their biggest cup yet, the King Cup. Since then the club have held their own in the league, reaching the final of the Image Printers Cup in the mid-nineties as well as getting promoted to the Premier league in 2004, although they were relegated at the end of season 2005-06
Under the current regime, many talented youngsters are being brought up through the age groups to play alongside the more experienced players. With this sort of development, Kelso Thistle will be hoping for a swift return to the Premier League.
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