Blackburn United F.C.
Blackburn United Football Club are a Scottish football club from the town of Blackburn, West Lothian. The team plays at Tier 6 of the Scottish Football Pyramid in the having moved from the junior leagues in 2018. Blackburn United became full members of the Scottish Football Association in June 2019. History. Formed in 1978, the club joined the junior grade of football two years later before taking the step up into Senior football in 2018. United play their home matches at the purpose built Purdie Worldwide Community Stadium (New Murrayfield Park), which has room for 1,100 spectators , in the centre of the town. The whole facility that is the Purdie Worldwide Community Stadium complex boasts a six-dressing room pavilion and associated amenities, an enclosed and floodlit 3G main Stadium pitch and three further 11-a-side pitches. The club was one of many to move from junior football to the East of Scotland Football League in 2018. Community Club. The Club forms the pinnacle of the Blackburn United Community Sports Club, a fully accredited SFA Community Club and Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation which, in addition to adult semi-professional football, caters for under age football  at all ages from under-9 to under-20 as well as ladies, girls and additional needs football and a variety of other sporting activities. For younger age groups there is a soccer school with its own dedicated coaches. Club records. Appearances. The club's record appearance holder until March 2014 was Craig Spence who, after signing from Airdrieonians at the beginning of the 1998–99 season, made 375 appearances and scored 20 goals before retiring in August 2012. On 15 March 2014, fellow Airdrie man Alan Brown, signed as a teenager at the beginning of the 1997–98 season and who had three  spells at the club, surpassed Spence's record when making his 376th appearance for the club, scoring his 68th goal in the process. Alan went onto make a total of 409 appearances, scoring 69 goals, before leaving the club at the end of the 2014/15 season. Goals. The club's record goalscorer is Andy McQuillan who, at the beginning of season 2019–20, had netted 173 goals in 235 starts and 24 substitute appearances. Notable former players. The following players have either played for Blackburn United before going onto forge careers at a higher level or have played for one of  the club's predecessors before similarly going onto play at a higher level;