GREENOCK Wanderers Football Club was founded in 1873 and primarily catered to the sporting needs of the young gentlemen of the west end at the time of its birth.

The word ‘Rugby’ was not actually added to the club name until the AGM of 1 September 1924 and by that time Wanderers had established themselves within the Scottish club rugby scene and regularly enjoyed fixtures against the top sides in the country.

This weekend’s festival promises to be a nostalgic event and not one to be missed by those of a Wanderers persuasion.

President John McDougall said: “It is a fitting way to end the season but also to commemorate our 140th year in existence.

“The club is going from strength to strength.

“We will be competing in the new National League Second Division next season and we are regularly putting out three senior sides and an under 18s team every Saturday.

“The youth section is strong and vibrant and we have just started a ladies’ team which is proving popular and confirms our commitment to the sport for all message.

“Growing the game and growing the club is a joint objective and I’m happy to say that progress is being made in both areas.” McDougall can be justly proud of his organisation.

They have sustained rugby football in the Greenock area since the late 19th century and have enjoyed periods of great success, enjoyment and indeed periods of disappointment and even tragedy.

In 1899 Laurence Harvey became Wanderers’ first-ever international cap when he was selected to play for Scotland against Ireland at Inverleith in Edinburgh and he was followed by James Reid-Kerr in 1909, who was picked for his country to face England at Richmond.

Kerr was also selected for the first-ever sanctioned British Isles, or, as they are colloquially known these days, British Lions tour to South Africa in 1910, although he did not play due to injury.

During this period, Wanderers suffered their darkest day.

On 25 January 1908, popular player and committee member Callum McIntyre was injured during a game against Clydesdale at Westbourne Park, which was situated approximately where the Battery Park is nowadays.

He suffered accidental neck and back injuries and passed away three days later at the old Greenock Royal Infirmary at Duncan Street. Although from Kinloch in Skye, he is buried within Greenock Cemetery.

A dark shadow hung over the club and, indeed, the game for several years but eventually time passed and Wanderers were rewarded with another international selection.

Dr J.B. Macdougall gained two Scottish caps while playing for Wanderers, the first against France in Paris in 1913 and then the following year against Ireland in Dublin.

Macdougall gained further caps for his country while playing for Wakefield in Yorkshire, where he had moved to continue his work as a doctor, specialising in the treatment of tuberculosis.

During their formative years, Wanderers played at several venues around the west end of Greenock and regularly used the facilities at Royal West of Scotland Amateur Boat Club on the Esplanade for changing and social occasions.

Eventually though, the club found accommodation, and settled at Fort Matilda in 1922, some 92 years ago, where they have remained ever since.

Wanderers’ first sevens tournament was held in 1948 and the locals won their own competition for the first time in 1950. Only three further Greenock teams have emulated that success, namely the sides of 1964, 1981 and 1997.

The club celebrated its centenary during the 1973 season with a host of events, including a challenge match against an SRU presidents’ XV that included several top class international stars like Andy Irvine and Ian ‘Mighty Mouse’ McLaughlin.

Wanderers experienced success during the early 1980s but a downturn in form around the end of the 80s and early 90s saw the club freefall to the Sixth Division of the National League.

The appointment of Dave McVey as coach was the catalyst that saw the club retrace its steps and power through the divisions.

Four promotions, including two title wins, along with league reconstruction, meant Wanderers rose to the top end of Scottish club rugby and were competing in the Premiership by the time McVey retired in 2012.

The locals have also competed in three national cup finals, firstly in 1993 when they were beaten by Duns in the Castlemaine Cup Final at Meggetland in Edinburgh, and twice in recent times — in 2005 at Murrayfield when Ardrossan won the National Bowl Final and in 2010 when Lasswade triumphed in the National Shield Final, once more at the national stadium.

In 2005 Wanderers embarked on their most ambitious project ever and that was to build a clubhouse that would sustain the club long into the future and provide the accommodation for an organisation with the commitment and drive to provide the facilities for rugby and other sports in the area.

Prime movers in the project were past-presidents Charles Shaw and Ian Appleton, and the end result was a magnificent structure that was completed in early 2008. En-suite changing rooms, complete with showers capable of hosting six teams, a physiotherapy room, secretary’s room, members’ bar, state of the art kitchen facilities and a large function suite all capable of hosting a wide range of social and business events is the legacy of that £1.3 million project.

Wanderers decanted their entire rugby operation to the Royal West Boat Club for a full season between 2007-08 to facilitate the work and the excellent relationships that were struck remain to this day.

Indeed, reciprocal membership arrangements are in place between both clubs, cementing an association that has lasted well over a century.

The formal opening of the clubhouse was a Royal affair and the club was delighted and honoured to welcome HRH, The Princess Royal to Fort Matilda on 18 February 2008 to declare the building open.

It was the proudest day in Wanderers’ history and the feel-good factor clearly impacted on the playing side of the club as more success followed in ensuing seasons.

Currently the locals are back in the upper echelons of the club game and are in the top 32 clubs in the land, which is no mean feat for a side from an area that could, perhaps unkindly, be described as a rugby backwater.

In total, Scottish rugby has 240 club sides so the locals are doing pretty well considering the area is primarily a football-orientated enclave.

The only way to maintain the current success is for more hard work from all involved at the club and president McDougall has secured the services of like-minded people to bolster his committee with the prospect of some challenging years ahead.

The final word went to a proud president who, with plenty of justification, is looking forward to a big weekend of celebration coming up.

Mr McDougall added: “As the president and head of the committee, I am aware that we are the custodians of the club and have a responsibility to safeguard the values and traditions that have been built up over 140 years.

“I am delighted to have such a hard-working and motivated group alongside me and we will strive to ensure that our standards both on and off the park remain high.” A full preview of Saturday’s sevens event will appear in Friday’s Telegraph.

l Wanderers are sponsored by Texas Instruments.