Pre-war (1902-1953)
ACCORDING to the records, the club was initially set up in 1902 and competed against the likes of Vikings, Coronation Boys, Scalloway Athletic and Speedwell for the Lever Bros Cup, holding the trophy from 1904 to 1907. It also achieved success in the Jamieson Cup (1908, 1913) and the Madrid Cup (1913).

After the First World War, a junior side was formed in 1920. The senior side competed throughout the 20s, a decade in which Rangers were the dominant side, and won three trophies in the 1926-27 season, the Madrid Cup, Manson Cup and Jamieson Cup. The team’s trainer that decade was Whalsay man Peter Robertson, apparently a real character.

Undoubtedly the best-known Thistle player of the era was Gilbert (Gibby) Halcrow, who represented the club from 1920 until 1939, as well as captaining Shetland on several occasions. The last survivor of the 20s team, Gilbert passed away at the age of 94 in 1999.

The Jags continued to enjoy success in the 1930s, which included winning the League Flag, County Shield and Jamieson Cup in 1934. One of those involved in the side in that era was Stewart Sales, who played for the club until the 1950s. Right up until he sadly passed away last year, Stewarty was regularly to be found on the touchline at matches, giving his vociferous backing to the team.

After the Second World War, Thistle found success in the shape of the Manson Cup in 1946, followed two years later by triumphs in the Madrid Cup and the Jamieson Cup. Although Thistle kept going for a few years, winning the Jamieson Cup in 1949 and 1951, the team included several players nearing veteran status and the writing was on the wall. There was just time for one last triumph, a Manson Cup victory in 1953, before the team broke up and the name of Thistle was mothballed.

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Reforming (1964-1980)
AFTER a 12-year absence, Thistle re-emerged in 1964, formed by young players unable to find regular football with Celtic and Spurs. Under a succession of managers, the team initially struggled to make an impact as they sought to re-establish themselves in Shetland footballing circles. Gradual improvement throughout the 1960s culminated in reaching the Manson Cup final in 1969, although the game resulted in a crushing 7-1 defeat at the hands of Scalloway.

The following year, Thistle repeated that feat, this time going down to a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ness. Possibly the star man of the era was Magnie Doull, who was top scorer for the Jags in three successive seasons from 1969-71.

In 1972, the club received a timely boost as Lerwick rivals Celtic folded and, after some discussion, it was agreed that Thistle would take over their promising junior side, vital in securing the long-term future of the club. The following year, Thistle once again reached the final of the Manson Cup, but again were unable to match a strong Scalloway side, going down 6-1 in the end.

After Bill Sutherland assumed the mantle of manager in 1976, the team began to improve steadily and reached the Fraser Cup final against Spurs, but Thistle surrendered their first-half lead to lose by the odd goal in three. Two years later, with Tony Ryder at the helm, another final appearance against Spurs, this time in the Mackeson Cup, ended in defeat by three goals to one.

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The 1980s
THE dawn of a new decade saw another disappointing season for Thistle in 1980, and though the following year they did perform much better, they were still not ready to seriously challenge for the various trophies. With George Simpson taking over as manager in 1982, a strong finish to the season saw the Jags finishing second in the nine-team league, their highest position since reforming. That year also saw Gordon Lawson named Shetland senior player-of-the-year, the first Thistle player to win the award since Kenny Dalziel in 1973.

In 1982 George Simpson took over as manager, assisted by Ian Tait. The season started in mediocre fashion, as the team was very unpredictable, but a strong finish led second place in the league. Two players were picked for the inter-county pool, John Johnson and Gordon Lawson, with Lawson eventually making the starting line-up.

This laid strong foundations, and 1983 saw the end of the club’s hoodoo. After losing the Manson Cup final earlier in the season, goals by Angus Murray (2) and Lawson gave Thistle a 3-0 win against Celtic in the Mackeson Cup final. This was quickly followed by the Manson Cup under new manager David Johnson in 1984, the first his six seasons in charge. Goalkeeper John Johnson was named Shetland player of the year.

Things went from good to great in 1985, a season which remains the most successful ever at senior level. Thistle won the Association Cup, making them Champions for the first time since reforming, and claimed a further four trophies, the Madrid, Mackeson, Manson and Whitbread Cups. Meanwhile, Norrie Peterson claimed the Shetland player of the year trophy and Angus Murray struck 35 goals, which also remains a club record.

The departure of Murray the following year saw the club struggle to score goals, although the Mackeson Cup was retained with a 2-0 victory over Whitedale in the final. Ewan Odie became the third Thistle player in a row to be named Shetland senior player of the year. 1986 was also the first year of the B league, with Thistle one of several sides taking part.

1987 saw two knockout trophies lifted, the County Shield and the Madrid Cup. But after a five-year period in which the club picked up at least one piece of silverware in each season, the next three years were to be a barren spell for Thistle, although the runner-up spot in the league was claimed in 1988. The main bright spot that season, and the following one, was the form of newcomer David Leask, who finished top scorer in both.

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The 1990s
THE 1991 season saw a major turnover for the club, with Jim Tait taking over as manager and several comings and goings on the playing side, at the start of what was to be by far the most successful era of the club’s history thus far. Youngsters such as Stuart Smith, Paul Spence, Grant Wiseman and Michaels Duncan and Johnson were beginning to come to the fore. Second place in the league was achieved and three trophies were won, the Madrid Cup, County Shield and Challenge Cup.

Thistle became champions again in 1992 after a seven-year wait, although there were no accompanying knockout successes. The B team, under manager Lawson Bissett, lifted the Bloomfield Cup after victory over Celtic in the final. The defence of the title was successful in 1993, clinched as with the previous year in victory at Scalloway. The Madrid Cup was also lifted in June after an extra time victory over Delting. Robbie Scott was awarded the honour of Shetland player of the year.

In 1994 Thistle celebrated 30 years since reforming, and a weekend of special events took place at the beginning of September. Players of all ages took part in a five-a-side tournament, a celebration dinner was held at the Lerwick Hotel and a souvenir booklet produced. Sadly the team’s performance on the park failed to match the organisation behind the scenes, however, with a trophy-less year save for the Sydney Goodlad Cup.

After behind-the-scenes wrangling, which saw long-serving midfielder Ewan Odie departing, a slow start to the 1995 season was soon forgotten as Thistle bounced back to become Champions once again. And after two cup final defeats, the Manson Cup was lifted in September to cap a highly successful year.

Season 1996 was one of the most memorable ever for the club, as it represented the one and only time a Shetland team has competed in the Highland Amateur Cup. A long campaign, including a famous 3-2 victory over cup favourites Muir of Ord, ended in a patched-up side losing by a single goal against Dingwall Thistle in the semi-finals. As far as local competitions went it was also a year to remember. The league title was retained, the County Shield won again, and Thistle were extremely unlucky in two other finals, losing both the Fraser and Madrid to Celtic, the latter after having to compete with a scratch line-up.

The following year former keeper John Johnson took over as manager when Jim Tait stepped down due to other commitments, but assistant John Thomson remained to aide John Johnson, maintaining an important continuity. And in 1997, Thistle went through the entire league season with a 100 per cent record.

Although some of the victories were narrow, the run just kept on going, and when David Leask finally found the net in the final league match at Fraser Park, Thistle had 48 points out of 48. The club also won the Manson Cup, County Shield and Madrid Cup into the bargain, only losing out in final of the Fraser Cup to Delting. Stuart Smith finished as top scorer with 27 goals, again the most since 1985, and he was also named as player of the year.

In the 1998 premier league Thistle’s run of form continued under another new manager, Gary Williams. After winning two and drawing two of the first four games, the team went on a spree of 12 consecutive victories to retain the title. The unbeaten run had now stretched to 37 league games. The knockout competitions saw scant success, however, and the only success came in retaining the County Shield, with a 3-1 win over Spurs in the final.

In 1999 Gary Williams departed and John Thomson was finally persuaded to take over as manager outright. In most ways the season was a disappointment, although Thistle managed to keep the league run going for another 11 matches, finally going down to Spurs. That result meant the club was forced to take part in a play-off against Delting, minus important players Paul Spence and Michael Johnson. In a highly controversial match, in which Thistle keeper Bobby Wiseman was sent off, Delting won 2-1 to take the championship to Brae for the first time.

Sadly the knockout competitions told a similar story, although there was consolation in the shape of the Fraser Cup, and a memorable achievement for one player. Against Scalloway in a close final Thistle emerged 5-3 winners, with Paul Spence scoring all the goals. Spence, as expected, was top scorer with 31 goals (after 32 the previous year), while his Fraser Cup final exploits also helped him win the player of the year trophy for the second year.

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Into the 21st century…
THE same management team stayed in place for the millennium season, and despite being pushed hard all the way by an improved Whalsay, the title was reclaimed. It was a close-run thing with a point needed when the two teams met in the last league match at Gilbertson Park, but the Thistle players held their nerves and completed a 3-2 win. Two more piece of silverware arrived in the shape of the Fraser Cup and the County Shield. A major signing was Duncan Bray, who had a superb season, and finished equal top scorer with Stuart Smith on 23 goals.

The last three seasons have been on the whole disappointing for the club, with 2001 the worst season for over 20 years and ten defeats in just 22 matches. Thankfully, Thistle mobilised themselves to lift the Madrid Cup hoodoo with a penalty shootout victory over Spurs in 2002, their centenary year. There was a similar outcome in 2003, when the Madrid Cup was retained (thanks to a Duncan Bray-inspired 2-1 victory over Delting) and there was a second successive Fraser Cup loss against Scalloway at Fraser Park.

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Junior section
THISTLE'S junior teams probably date back to before the First World War, but there have been over thirty years of unbroken junior football since the club reformed. The junior side has been consistent over that period of time, regularly winning trophies. In 1977, with a side including the likes of John Saunders, Gary Nicolson, Michael Irvine and Alex Farmer, Thistle won four trophies, just one short of a clean sweep.

By the turn of the decade, a team including no less than six junior inter-county players (John Johnson, Jim Odie, Eric Graham, Paul Regan, Hamish Leask and Davie Leask) matched that four trophy haul for two consecutive years between 1980-1.

1988 saw the start of an incredible four-year run as overall champions, the high point being in 1990 when Thistle won every single junior trophy going, both indoor and outdoor, with a team including Stuart Smith, Michael Johnson, Michael Duncan, Alex Watt, Magnus Malcolmson, Grant Wiseman, Paul Spence and John Montgomery.

The next significant trophy haul came in 1994, with five trophies lifted by a team that included John Wiseman, Magnus and Leon Johnston and Brian Thompson. More recently, a team featuring Paul Leask, Graeme Gibson, Neil Edwards, Neil Riddell and Kevin Gifford won seven trophies over two seasons in 1999 and 2000.

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Juvenile section
THISTLE first formed a juvenile setup in 1977, with Andy Spence and David Riddell creating under-13 and under-15 teams. Like the juniors, the club’s juvenile teams have regularly been successful, in particular between the years of 1983 and 1989 when at least three trophies were won each year.

In the 1990s, young sides made trips to Morecambe (in 1993) and Huddersfield (1995, combined with Whalsay). One of those Thistle players on the latter trip was Karl Williamson, a talented player who signed for Aberdeen FC on schoolboy forms, going on to play for lower Scottish league sides before returning to his native Whalsay recently.

However, success in terms of trophies is in many ways a bonus, with the main aim being to bring on and develop players for the juniors and in the long run the senior team. In the last few years, teams have also been introduced at younger levels, with Thistle now having teams at under-8, under-10, under-12, under-14 and under-16 levels.

The club is eternally grateful for the tremendous support given from interested parents over the years, not to mention the dedication and commitment of managers such as David Riddell, Mark Evans, Lawson Bissett, Robert Leask, Stuart Clubb and Michael Duncan, whose continuing support will ensure that the club has a healthy future.