On 5 May 1877, the Kilmarnock Cricket Club hosted a charity match between an Ayrshire select and a Glasgow select, in order to raise funds for a statue in honour of Robert Burns, on its Holm Quarry ground.

For its first season the club was known as the Kilmarnock Cricket and Football Club[3] and its first competitive match was a 4–0 win over Maybole Thistle in the first round of the 1877–78 Scottish Cup, with players such as goalkeeper M'Lelland, plus Whyte, Smith, Cunningham, Goudie, Ferguson, and captain Kennedy having been part of the Winton regular XI.

In 1881–82, the club reached the semi-final of the Scottish Cup, only narrowly losing to Queen's Park.

[8] The Athletics also repeated the previous year's feat of reaching the Scottish Cup semi-final.

The club was drawn to play Vale of Leven away, and held the Alexandria side to a draw, only to lose 2–0 in the replay at home.

The club did however win one national competition; the Second XI Cup, beating Dumbarton 2–0 in the final at Boghead Park,[9] and the Athletic retained the trophy against the same opponent with a 3–1 replay win at Holm Quarry the following season, thanks to goals from Murray, Hay, and Mair,[10] after a 1–1 draw at Boghead.