The club was founded in 1876[2][3] and named after a description of the town of Dumfries by the poet David Dunbar.

For the start of the next season, the club moved to a new ground, Cresswell Park, with the first visitors being the Scottish Cup holders Hibernian; remarkably, the Wanderers won 8–2.

Haining defended the action by stating that there was no such loss; after the SFA investigated in 1887, at the club committee's suggestion, he burned the account books which recorded payments to players, and presented clean cashbooks to the auditors.

[13] The secret payments made included paying two players (Calderhead and Provand) £1 per month as wages, plus their travel expenses, Provand's expenses in moving from Glasgow, and £10 to Calderhead to set up as a coal agent; two unemployed players (Halliday and Barbour) were given free food; another (Bob Brand) a free suit of clothes.

[14] Another player (Barbour) was offered money to stay with the club, but he moved to Accrington F.C., as professionalism was legal in England and he could earn more there.

[17] Sheriff Hope found in favour of Haining, stating that the evidence was "very sad as indication of the widespread deficiency in truth and honour among the class to which the football players and their friends in the town belong".

3–1 in the first round of the Churchill Cup on 16 November 1889,[20] Moffat raised a protest that the club was employing professionals;[21] after three secret sittings inside a week, the Scottish FA expelled the club for professionalism, along with the entire committee and two players.