Whole new ball game for Lothian and Hutchie

Lothian founder Tom Allison has agreed to the change of name as the Saughton Enclosure side steps up its bid to become a full member of the Scottish FA and compete in the Scottish Cup.

"It's a real step forward for the club that will allow us to compete with the big boys," said Allison, now Chairman/Secretary at the club. "The significance is to allow us to get membership of the SFA to enable us to play in the Scottish Cup, we hope, and we'd like to develop Saughton Enclosure."

The club's official title will remain as Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale Community Club but that will be shortened for the purpose of ease of use in fixtures and standings. The new term, Lothian Hutchison, has still to receive approval from both the East of Scotland FA and the Scottish FA. Once the new name has been ratified, Lothian will be able to progress as a senior club as they possess the requisite standard of home ground and a youth set-up thanks to scores of thriving Hutchie teams.

"This forms a community club that will have a pathway from youth to senior football," said Allison. "Hutchie have the youth pyramid and we have the senior section.

"It's hoped that 18s, 19s, 21s will be used as a springboard to senior football.

"You need a ground suitable to be a member of the SFA, and a youth section. There are lots of other things, but this is the starting ground for the development of the club. It's not a decision I would agree to without a lot of thought."

Allison, an ardent Rangers fan who idolised 1960s hero Jim Baxter, founded the club as a works team in 1968 after trips to Ibrox lost their appeal following Baxter's departure for Sunderland. Allison was an employee of Lloyds Finance at that time, but left the company a year later and took his players with him to form Lothian Thistle.

The team competed in the Lothian Amateur league until 1991, then joined the Caledonian League before becoming a senior team in 1996, whereupon they gained membership of the East of Scotland League.

The club called a number of Capital venues home - including Roseburn, Paties Road, Riccarton, and Moray House College - before settling at Saughton Enclosure in 1998. Lothian erected a barrier between the grass embankments and the running track that surrounds the pitch, and also carried out extensive improvements to the changing rooms.

Hutchison Vale's Ladies team shares the venue in West Edinburgh, and staff at the illustious Capital youth club hope to work further with the Lothian camp for the common good.

"If someone can relate to the name of a club, there's more good comes out of it than bad," said Les Trotter, secretary at Hutchie.

"It now is our club, because Tom Allison was finding it difficult to run. Over the years, it was all his money going into Lothian Thistle. We've known him for years and years. To keep the name of his club is very important to him."Trotter went on to explain that a seamless pathway to senior football would prove an attractive proposition to players, especially those who leave Hutchie for a senior club only to fail to progress first time round.

"These players can now have a second crack of the whip, and have a chance to go from there to a junior or Third Division," said Trotter.