A FAMOUS football club that disappeared more than 30 years ago is being resurrected - as a women's team.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was at its height one of the great forces in Scottish football.
The Glasgow team was one of the first winners of the Scottish Cup and regularly made appearances in cup finals.
But in 1967 the Cathkin Park side was forced into liquidation amid allegations of board mismanagement.
Now, after 32 years relegated to football's history books, the club will return to top action.
The newly established Third Lanark Ladies' FC is already in training for the new season and will play their first game in the next few weeks.
Yesterday team manager Andrew Page insisted the new recruits could emulate their male predecessors and get back to the top flight.
The team will start along with seven other new sides in the inaugural Women's Football League Third Division at the end of August.
Mr Page said: ''We are aiming to get up to the Second Division in our first year, although being realistic I don't want to put the emphasis on winning trophies.
''My job is to coach the ladies and develop their talent as well as encourage more women into the game.''
Third Lanark Ladies' FC will kick off the new season with an away match against Paisley on August 29.
Mr Page became interested in Third Lanark after collecting football memorabilia and discovering that the team still had an official supporters' club. He then approached the Scottish Women's Football Association to use the famous name before contacting the local council about using the old stadium.
The team will play half of its 14 league games on the old Cathkin Park in Glasgow's South Side, which still has a capacity for 5000 spectators.
They face treks to far-flung corners of Scotland, including Inverurie and the Borders, on league and cup duty.
Mr Page, who has official SFA coaching certificates, said the 24 women in the squad were keen to win over diehard fans of the old defunct team.
Officials at the SWFA said they hoped the return of Third Lanark would help boost women's football in Scotland.
Executive administrator Maureen McGonigle said: ''The sport is beginning to go through a boom . . . The recent World Cup in America has helped no end and I think we can try and strengthen the national side because of this.''
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