The club, from Carfin in Lanarkshire, formed in 1891 as a split from the Carfin Shamrock club, which in turn was being riven by factions and lost its membership of the Scottish Football Association. The offshoot's competitive match was at Linthouse in the first qualifying round of the 1891–92 Scottish Cup and was a 12–0 defeat.[2]
The club also entered the Lanarkshire Cup that season (as it turned out, for the only time), and beat Hamilton Harp in the first round; Harp's protest that Hibernians turned up so late that the match finished in the dark - even though the game was at Hibernians' own ground - was dismissed.[3] The club also turned up late (and one man short) to the second round tie with Airdrieonians, formally scratched from the competition, and played out a friendly, in which the Onians scored 11 without reply.[4] The defeat put the Hibernians into the Consolation Cup (aka the Coatbridge Express Cup), and the club was drawn to visit Wishaw Thistle; Hibernians again scratched on the day of the match, and the clubs played a friendly, which ended at half-time with Thistle 3–0 to the good because of bad weather.[5]
The Hibernians and Shamrock nearly merged back together in 1892,[6] but they retained separate operations for the next two seasons. Hibernians had a little more luck in the qualifying rounds for the 1892–93 Scottish Cup, walking over Whifflet Shamrock in the first round, but in the second lost 10–0 at Albion Rovers, who played almost the entire game with 10 men, but "cribbed, cabined, and confined the Hibernians throughout" and "had some fun with them".[7]
The Hibernians' final match of note was in the first qualifying round of the 1893–94 Scottish Cup, in which the club had been drawn at home to Cowlairs, but the club sold home advantage for a much-needed £6 - the club was so cash-strapped that some players had to wear their normal clothing.[8] Despite Cowlairs only playing with 10 men, and with several Shamrock men guesting - mistakenly under the impression the game was a friendly - the Hibernians went down 11–1. As a result of this debacle, the two Carfin clubs agreed to merge under the simple name Carfin.[9]
Colours
The club wore green and white hoops, with black knickers.[10]
Ground
The club played at Byresknowes Park, which had been Shamrock's ground, and forcing the older club to move.[11] A Mr Johnston, who claimed to represent the Shamrock, said that he had arranged an adjoining pitch for Shamrock for the season, but the local association declared that he had no right to represent the Shamrock club, and his purported club faded away.[12]
References
^"Mossend Swifts v Carfin Hibernians". Lothian Courier: 6. 26 September 1891.
^"Linthouse v Carfin Hibernians". West Glasgow Herald: 6. 7 September 1891.
^"Protests and appeals". Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser: 5. 7 November 1891.
^"Sport and pastime". Rutherglen Reformer: 3. 27 November 1891.
^"Express Cup Ties". Rutherglen Reformer: 3. 1 April 1892.
^"Football notes". Rutherglen Reformer: 3. 20 May 1892.
^"Sport and pastime". Rutherglen Reformer: 3. 30 September 1892.
^"£6 the question". Dundee Courier: 4. 13 September 1893.
^"Notes by "Scrutator"". Lothian Courier: 3. 31 March 1894.
^M'Dowall, John (1892). Scottish Football Annual 1892–93. Glasgow: Hay Nisbet. p. 91.
^M'Dowall, John (1892). Scottish Football Annual 1892–93. Glasgow: Hay Nisbet. p. 91.
^"The rival Shamrocks". Rutherglen Reformer: 5. 25 September 1891.
