On Saturday 17th May 1952, Kilbirnie Ladeside Junior F.C., dressed in their team colours of amber and black, played against rivals Camelon Juniors Football Club at Hampden Park, Glasgow, in front of an audience of 69,959 spectators in scorching hot weather. Throughout the 90-minute game, ambulance men were kept busy looking after the crowds.
This would be the first time Kilbirnie Ladeside Junior F.C. had won the Scottish Junior Cup.
Camelon Juniors F.C. won the toss and commenced play. Despite a fierce push by Camelon and a free kick for Ladeside, by half time the results were Kilbirnie, 0 : Camelon, 0. Ten minutes into the second half, in sweltering heat, Ashe scored a goal for Ladeside. The final result was Kilbirnie Ladeside, 1 : Camelon Juniors, 0. Throughout the game Ladeside’s goalkeeper, Tommy McQueen, who had recently been signed by Hibernian, was in fine form.
The Kilbirnie Ladeside team consisted of McQueen, Ross, Ryan, J. Brown, Pearson, Fox, Clark, Ashe, Dunbar, E. Brown, and McIntosh. The Camelon Juniors team were McAllister, Ballantyne, Wilson, McKenzie, Hansen, Meiklejohn, Park, Hendry, Hamilton, Ross, and Thomson.
The Ladeside team’s supporters upon returning to Kilbirnie by train or bus, packed the Main Street and Bridge to await the return of the Ladeside team. As the Ladeside team coach returned to Kilbirnie about 7pm, it was met by the pipe band, who led the coach through the packed Main Street with Captain Bob Pearson on top of the bus holding the Scottish Junior Cup up for everyone to see. The bus stopped in front of the Walker Hall, but encouraged by cries from the Bridge, they continued triumphantly around the memorial lamp and back to the Walker Hall.
The Ladeside Team then entered the Walker Hall, where a civic reception had been prepared for them by Kilbirnie District Council and the Common Good Committee. Sam MacCormick of Kilbirnie District Council welcomed and thanked the Ladeside team for bringing the Scottish Junior Cup to Kilbirnie and placing Kilbirnie on the football map. Captain Bob Pearson, in response, said “the team were pleased they were able to win the cup and for himself this was the greatest day of his life”.
The reception was limited to the players and their wives or girlfriends, officials of the club, along with representatives of the District Council and the Common Good Committee. Following the speeches and a toast, a high tea was served. The cake, decorated in the Ladeside team colours, was gifted by the Kilbirnie Co-operative Society, and inscribed “Kilbirnie Ladeside, Scottish Junior Cup winners”. Afterwards, the Ladeside team and the Scottish Junior Cup travelled to Glengarnock, accompanied by Mr Archie Manuel, M.P., where the Scottish Junior Cup was displayed in the Orange Hall. Archibald Manuel, M.P., gave a speech in which he said the Ladeside team had “won a meritorious victory, which had been achieved by a fighting spirit and a captain second to none”.
After the celebrations at Glengarnock, the team returned to the Walker Hall where the 11pm public closing hour was extended into the wee hours. Kilbirnie Ladeside won the Scottish Junior Cup again in the 1976-77 season, winning 3-1 against Kirkintilloch Rob Roy. 1977 was also notable for being the first year that the Scottish Junior Cup Final was shown on live television.