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Airdrieonians FC, long known to their fans and others as The Diamonds, has a unique place in Scottish football history.
Formed a decade earlier than Glasgow Celtic, Airdrieonians made their reputation locally in 1885 by winning a charity football tournament run by the local cricket club. The following year Airdrieonians furthered that reputation nationally by inflicting a humiliating 10-2 defeat upon Glasgow Rangers, that club's worst known loss on its own ground.
The 1920s brought an era of resounding success, the culmination of which was victory over Hibernian in the Scottish FA Cup in 1924. From 1922 to 1926, only Rangers and Celtic prevented Airdrieonians from winning the Scottish League.
Thanks to the daring cup runs that were the club's trademark, once in a lifetime occasions became commonplace for Diamond fans. In addition to their 1924 win, Airdrieonians appeared in no fewer than three other Scottish FA Cup Finals, and innumerable other semi-finals both in that tournament and in the Scottish League Cup.
The history of the Diamonds is littered with glittering achievements and football landmarks, beginning with the awarding of the game's first-ever penalty kick in 1891, and a 33-year unbroken run in Scotland's top division after winning what was then called the Second League in 1902-03. Hughie Gallacher, one of the all-time great centre-forwards, springs to national and international prominence as an Airdrie player. Manchester United poach their manager in October 1921. Stanley Matthews plays in the famous shirt in the 1940 War Cup semi-final replay. The first-ever penalty shoot-out in world football takes place at Broomfield, as Airdrie dump English top division leaders Nottingham Forest out of the inaugural British Cup in 1970.
In the same competition a season later, three other English First Division clubs, Manchester City, Huddersfield Town and Derby County, experience first hand how hard a Diamond can be. Managed by Brian Clough at the height of his powers, Derby scrape through to victory in the final on the narrowest of margins after a 0-0 first-leg draw at Broomfield.
All this, and more, from a club where the players could train only for a couple of hours three times a week, at the end of the working day in their real jobs, as teachers, car salesmen, electricians, builders' labourers and dustbinmen.
Having been driven into full liquidation in May 2002, Airdrieonians FC is today most famous for being the first Scottish senior club to go out of business since Third Lanark in 1967. The spirit lives on, though, as the town which has had its own team since the original Airdrie were founded in 1869 brings to life Airdrie United. The name Airdrieonians might be gone, for the moment, but the famous jersey is back. As the saying goes, Diamonds ARE Forever.
