THEY have won the Scottish Juvenile Cup a record nine times. But the existence of a crack amateur side founded in 1943 is being threatened by a twist of football fate.

Campsie Black Watch - named after the regiment serving in Iraq - have not lost their star strikers, nor are they in serious financial trouble.

The explanation is more prosaic. The team, who have won 26 league championships and five Lady Darling trophies, have lost their dressing room, a folly usually associated with the manager.

The most successful juvenile club in the history of Scottish football, Campsie Black Watch have used the Old Cottage in Station Road, Lennoxtown, near Glasgow, as a changing room since 1956 under an informal agreement with the previous owner.

However, it and the land it stands on at Station Road is about to be developed by AWG Residential, which has been granted full planning permission for a new housing development.

It is a move that Gerry Marley, 73, who has managed Campsie for 50 years and who was made an MBE in 1997 for services to football, believes could sound the death knell for the club.

He said the company wanted to knock the dressing rooms down, prompting fears that the club ''could go out of existence''.

Mr Marley, who has worked as secretary, coach and chief strip washer at Campsie's little white steading which serves as a pavilion, said AWG had included a new pitch and dressing rooms in its initial plans.

However, he claimed that these were removed in favour of an industrial phase, which had to be included to meet planning requirements on the advice of the Lennoxtown Initiative.

At a meeting with AWG, Mr Marley said they had been offered a portable building after being told the company wanted to demolish the dressing rooms.

Mr Marley said: ''We felt this was an insult to the club. We are not against this development, but AWG will enjoy a massive financial gain from this venture and we feel morally that the company should give something back to the community.

''I am very disappointed at how we have been treated by the company and also the Lennoxtown Initiative, which I believe could be doing a lot more to support us, especially after all the success we have brought to the village.''

Mr Marley, who had chances to leave for higher things with Celtic, Motherwell, Watford and Notts County, added: ''I would appeal to the public to give us their full support on this matter as it is crucial to the club's future.''

Ian Flynn, a spokesman for the Edinburgh-based AWG Residential, said: ''The building being used as the dressing room is part of an old nail factory and my understanding is that there is a demolition warrant against it because it is technically unsound.

''We are donating money towards leisure and recreation facilities within the area. Our development team met with the football team yesterday and offered the use of semi-permanent buildings, units which they could use as dressing rooms, but they did not accept it.

''We can appreciate the issues the football team may face but, in terms of the community aspect, we think we have done quite a lot for the area. We think we have tried to assist as much as we can.''

Tom Campbell, chief executive of Lennoxtown Initiative, said he regarded the semi-permanent units as a temporary measure for the football club and that he hoped Campsie Black Watch would be a stakeholder in a forthcoming initiative to improve leisure and sports facilities in the village.

He said: ''Football is an important part of leisure life in the village and we recognise that this is a key part of the strategy. We have to look at the whole leisure strategy and we recognise that the football team has played an important historical role in Lennoxtown and will continue to do so in the future.''

John Dempsey, Lennoxtown councillor, said: ''The decision is in the hands of AWG, but hopefully a suitable solution can be found to help Campsie Black Watch and the local community.''