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Coronation Cup 1st round
Final Score - Broxburn Athletic 3 Bathgate Thistle 1
Scorers for Broxburn Athletic 3 - Quigley (2), Stewart
Coronation Cup 2nd round
Broxburn Athletic v Bonnybridge Juniors
Broxburn won this match to progress into the next round of the cup.
Coronation Cup 3rd round
Armadale Thistle v Broxburn Athletic
Armadale dominated most of the first half and the Broxburn defenders Cavannagh and Calder played well to keep the score down. However, Armadale did manage to break through and score the first goal of the match. There was no other scoring and the Broxburn team was relieved to go in at half time losing by one goal to nil.
Quigley was the only man up front for Broxburn and he was having a good game and he came close to scoring on a number of occasions. It was Quigley who helped to create the chance which allowed Cannon to direct the ball past the Armadale keeper for Broxburn's first goal and this levelled the score at 1-1. Quigley received just reward for all his hard work when he pounced on a loose ball in the dying minutes of the game and struck a good shot past the keeper to score the winning goal. Broxburn Athletic held on to win the match and move forward to the semi final of the Coronation Cup.
Final score - Armadale Thistle 1 Broxburn Athletic 2.
Coronation Cup semi final
Broxburn Athletic v Newtongrange Star
Quigley, who was later to sign for Airdrie, played another good game up front and Kirkland also played well at the back for Broxburn Athletic. Broxburn went ahead with goals by Quigley and McCann and the 'Star' reduced the deficit to one goal before half time.
In the second half Broxburn went further ahead with a good goal from Stewart and then Quigley scored his second goal to put the Athletic ahead by 4 goals to one. Broxburn then coasted home to an easy victory and earned their place in the final of the Coronation Cup.
Final Result - Newtongrange Star 1 Broxburn Athletic 4.
July 1953 - Coronation Cup Final
Broxburn Athletic v Arniston Rangers
It took 3 games to decide the destination of the Coronation Cup, thus giving, a memorable finale to the 1952/53 season. The teams, Broxburn Athletic and Arniston Rangers started this marathon on the Thursday at City Park, Pilton and the first meeting ended in a 2-2 draw. Back to the same ground the following evening and again they finished equal 1-1. The two tired teams lined up against each other for the third time in three days at the same ground. The second replay was played at City Park on the Saturday. For the third meeting Broxburn Athletic replaced the goalkeeper Bennie with Swan. They also brought in a new youngster at outside left, Hughes from Broxburn Thistle. Hughes only signed for the Athletic just before the final and this was his first Junior football match. It was therefore a unique debut for the youngster who managed to win a medal in his very first Junior game. This signing was not a foregone conclusion and it almost did not materialize. The management team from Broxburn Athletic visited Hughes at his home on the Friday evening and asked if he would come along to the game the following day in case he was required. However, Hughes was due to go on holiday on the Saturday morning and was not very keen to change his plans for this one football match. After some discussion Hughes asked if he would definitely get a game if he agreed to go to the match but regrettably he was told that there was no guarantee of getting a game. Hughes advised the management committee that he was not prepared to disrupt his holiday plans if he was not guaranteed a starting place in the team. The committee relented and agreed to play Hughes in the final if he turned up at the City Park for the Cup Final. Hughes agreed, then made arrangements to leave for his holiday on the Sunday and appeared in the starting team for Broxburn Athletic on the Saturday.
Arniston Rangers took the lead early in the game. Broxburn Athletic had the odd good attacking move but Arniston generally dominated the first period and they went in at half time leading 1-0. It has to be mentioned that the Broxburn centre half, Kirkland, played very well in the first and this was one of the main reasons why the Rangers were limited to only scoring the one goal.
Half time score - Arniston Rangers 1 Broxburn Athletic 0.
Early in the second half Broxburn Athletic showed good commitment and were the fresher of the two teams. During this period Broxburn got their equalizing goal and this came from a Stein header. The game was very tight as the game was coming to a close and Broxburn thought they had sealed the victory when Quigley scored a great goal to put the Athletic into a 2-1 lead. Shortly afterwards the rangers managed to get the equalizer and it looked as if the game was heading for extra time. However, in the dying minutes Broxburn scored a well-deserved winning goal. McCann showed sheer determination to jump for a high ball and head the ball forcefully into the back of the net to score what could be classed as a typical 1950's style goal. He through his body towards the ball with such a force that the ball, a few Arniston defenders and McCann himself ended up over the goal line. Broxburn took the lead, and won the Coronation Cup. This was a unique achievement by Broxburn Athletic and one which can never been repeated. The tournament was only held the once, to commemorate the coronation of the Queen in 1953.
Coronation Cup final -
Final Result - Broxburn Athletic 3 Arniston Rangers 2.