1873–74 Scottish Cup

Inaugural Scottish Cup football competition July 2021 April 2019 1873–74 Scottish Cup Scotland 16 Queen's Park(first title) Clydesdale 16 38 1874–75 The 1873–74 Scottish Cup – officially the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup – was the first season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. A total of 16 teams from the west of Scotland entered the competition, but only 14 played a match after two teams withdrew. The competition began with a match between Renton and Kilmarnock on 18 October 1873 and concluded with the final on 21 March 1874. After 16 matches and 38 goals, the inaugural cup was won by Queen's Park who defeated fellow Glasgow club Clydesdale 2–0 in the final. The sixteen teams that entered the competition consisted of the eight founder members of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) – namely Clydesdale, Dumbreck, Eastern, Granville, Kilmarnock, Queen's Park, Vale of Leven and the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers – as well as Alexandra Athletic, Blythswood, Callander, Dumbarton, Renton, Rovers, Southern and Western. Subscription fees from 15 of these clubs were used to pay for the Scottish Cup trophy which the teams would compete for. Unlike the FA Cup, the original trophy is still awarded to the winners of the competition. It is the oldest trophy in association football and the oldest national trophy in the world.note The four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) are represented separately in association football and each has its own national trophy.https://www.thefa.com/competitions/thefacup The Emirates FA Cup The Football Association 31 October 2023https://www.irishfa.com/ifa-domestic/cup-competitions/clearer-water-irish-cup Clearer Water Irish Cup Irish Football Association 31 October 2023https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-cup/scottish-gas-mens-scottish-cup/ The Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Scottish Football Association 31 October 2023https://cups.cymrufootball.wales/welsh-cup/ JD Welsh Cup Football Association of Wales 31 October 2023 Background Queen's Park had been founded in July 1867 and became the first Scottish club to join the previously solely England-based Football Association three years later. They had contributed to the cost of the FA Cup trophy and entered the competition in its inaugural season. However, the cost of travelling to England for matches was prohibitive. In both 1872 and 1873, they were forced to withdraw from the competition in the semi-finals.https://www.fchd.info/cups/facup1871-72.htm F.A. Cup 1871–72 The Football Club History Database 25 October 2023 3 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230203163242/https://fchd.info/cups/facup1871-72.htm live https://www.fchd.info/cups/facup1872-73.htm F.A. Cup 1872–73 The Football Club History Database 12 April 2019 21 April 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080421181631/http://www.fchd.info/cups/facup1872-73.htm live https://www.scottishfootballmuseum.org.uk/football-for-all/digital-archive/scottish-fa-annual-1890-91/ Scottish Football Association 1890 Scottish FA Annual 1890–91 Glasgow Hay Nisbet & Co. 59–63 Scottish Football Museum registration 25 October 2023 28 October 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231028140843/https://www.scottishfootballmuseum.org.uk/football-for-all/digital-archive/scottish-fa-annual-1890-91/ live In March 1873, the club took out an advertisement in a Glasgow newspaper to invite football clubs to a meeting in the Dewar's Hotel with the intention of discussing the formation of a football association for Scotland. The club's secretary Archibald Rae also wrote a letter to a number of clubs, including Kilmarnock – who had been influenced by Queen's Park to play association football rather than rugby – to invite them to the meeting. Committee members from Queen's Park were joined by representatives from six other clubs – Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers (more commonly known as 3rd Lanark RV or 3rd LRV), Eastern and Granville – at the meeting and a letter of support was received from Kilmarnock who were unable to attend.Brief History of the Scottish Football Association http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?curpageid=183 Scottish Football Association 14 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20080701213600/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?curpageid=183 1 July 2008https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/kilmarnock-in-history-the-very-first-steps/ Kilmarnock in History: The Very First Steps Kilmarnock Football Club John Livingston 19 March 2020 14 July 2021 28 October 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231028140807/https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/news/kilmarnock-in-history-the-very-first-steps/ live Mathers Stewart 2017 The Beautiful Dribbling Game: The Scottish F.A. Challenge Cup in the 19th Century Great Britain Stewart Mathers 7–13, 252, 362 978-0-9956998-0-9 The eight clubs agreed to establish the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and resolved that:The clubs here represented form themselves into an association for the promotion of football according to the rules of The Football Association and that the clubs connected with this association subscribe for a challenge cup to be played for annually, the committee to propose the laws of the competition. Eight further teams joined the SFA over the next few months and subscription fees from fifteen of the members were used to pay for the trophy; the only non-contributor was Southern, which was also the last club to enter.Organising the Game in Scotland http://www.valeofleven.org.uk/football03.html The Vale of Leven 29 October 2022 The Scottish Cup is the oldest trophy in association football. It has been awarded to the winner of every edition of the competition and is competed for on an annual basis by SFA member clubs.2017 Scottish F.A. Cup 1873–2017: The Complete Results Cleethorpes Soccer Books 2–3 978-1-86223-366-9 Format Scottish Cup format As 16 teams entered the competition, the first edition of the Scottish Cup took on the format of a straightforward knockout tournament. In future years, the number of entrants would expand to regularly include over 100 teams which resulted in the need for byes before the introduction of the Scottish Football League in 1890 and the Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1895.Potter David David W. Potter Jones Phil H. 2016 The History of the Scottish Cup: The Story of Every Season 1873–2016 Worthing Pitch Publishing 12–13 978-1-78531-214-4 For the first round, the names of the 16 teams were placed into a single lot and drawn into pairs. The home team for each tie was determined by the toss of a coin unless it was mutually agreed or only one of the two clubs drawn against one another had a private ground. In the event of a draw, the team who lost the toss would have the choice of ground for the replay. This process was repeated for the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The choice of venue for the final and any replay(s) was reserved to the SFA.http://www.scottishsporthistory.com/uploads/3/3/6/0/3360867/scottish_football_annual_1875.pdf Rules of the Scottish Football Association Scottish Football Association W. Wetherston & Son Glasgow 14 October 1875 315670020 23 October 2023 22–26 12 October 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231012103552/http://www.scottishsporthistory.com/uploads/3/3/6/0/3360867/scottish_football_annual_1875.pdf live Rules The inaugural competition was played according to the rules of The Football Association, known as the Laws of the Game. Matches were 90 minutes long with a break after 45 minutes. Pitches could be no more than 200 yd m by 100 yd m and goals were marked by two upright posts at either end, 8 yd m apart, with tape between them at height of 8 ft m. A coin toss decided the ends each team would shoot towards and which team would kick off. A goal was scored when the ball passed between the posts below the tape. Ends were changed after each goal was scored unless no goals were scored in the first half. In the event that no goals were scored in the first half, ends would only be changed at half time. A player was considered "out of play" if he was nearer to the goal than a teammate who kicked the ball to him, unless there were at least three opponents between him and the goal. Players who were out of play could not touch the ball or prevent any other players from doing so until they were back "in play". The rules specifically forbade players from kicking and hacking their opponents as well as from wearing "projecting nails, iron plates or gutta-percha" on the soles of their boots.27 February 1873 The Football Association The Sportsman 3 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001055/18730227/040/0003 British Newspaper Archive subscription 25 October 2023 Teams All 16 teams entered the competition in the first round. Of the clubs that entered, eight were founder members of the SFA. Those included Clydesdale, Granville, Queen's Park and 3rd Lanark RV from Renfrewshire as well as Dumbreck from Lanarkshire, Eastern from Glasgow, Ayrshire side Kilmarnock and Vale of Leven from Dunbartonshire. A further five Glasgow clubs – Alexandra Athletic, Blythswood, Callander, Rovers, and Western – entered alongside Dumbarton and Renton from Dunbartonshire and Southern from Renfrewshire. Of the 16 teams to enter the first round, Southern were the only team who would not play a single match in any edition of the Scottish Cup. By 1967, all the teams had become defunct except for Dumbarton, Kilmarnock, Queen's Park and Vale of Leven and, as of 2026, only the first three of these still compete regularly in the competition.http://sfha.org.uk/clubdirectory.xlsx Scottish Football Historical Results Archive: All-time Scottish Club Directory Scottish Football Historical Results Archive Brian McColl 17 July 2023 4 October 2023 15 August 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230815160842/http://sfha.org.uk/clubdirectory.xlsx live Calendar RoundDateFixtures ClubsNew entries this roundOriginalReplaysWalkoversByesFirst round18 - 25 October 1873800016 → 816Quarter-finals8 November - 6 December 187343008 → 4noneSemi-finals13 - 20 December 187320004 → 2noneFinal21 March 187410002 → 1none First round thumb|right|alt=A newspaper match report from the North British Daily Mail describing the Clydesdale vs. Granville first round match|Report from the Clydesdale vs. Granville first round match in the North British Daily Mail of 27 October 1873. At a committee meeting of the Scottish Football Association on 9 October 1873, the first round ties were drawn.Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup The Glasgow Herald 10 October 1873 5 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000060/18731010/007/0005 British Newspaper Archive 7 November 2023 subscription The first match took place on 18 October 1873 when Renton defeated Kilmarnock (who played the entire match with 10 players) 2–0 in the first round.http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?curpageid=1371 https://web.archive.org/web/20080627111827/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?curpageid=1371 27 June 2008 The Scottish Cup – Then and Now Scottish Football Association 25 May 2015 The match was played in Crosshill, at the neutral Hampden Park.Ross David 2001 Every Game: The New Official History of Kilmarnock Football Club Irvine Kilmarnock Football Club 153 0-9541653-0-6 Newspaper reports from the time suggest Kilmarnock may have been at a disadvantage as they were more used to playing rugby. Later on the same day, Alexandra Athletic and Eastern recorded wins over Callander and Rovers respectively and the following week Queen's Park began the competition with a 7–0 win over Dumbreck in the highest scoring game in the inaugural competition.Robertson Forrest H. C. 1984 The Men With The Educated Feet: A Statistical History of Queen's Park Glasgow The Queen's Park Supporters' Association 10 0-9510047-0-0 John McPherson scored the first ever Scottish Cup hat-trickClydesdale v. Granville The Scotsman 27 October 1873 7 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000540/18731027/168/0007 British Newspaper Archive 7 November 2023 subscription as Clydesdale defeated Granville 6–0 in what would be the latter's only Scottish Cup match and Blythswood won 1–0 away to Western. Southern and Vale of Leven scratched their first round matches against Dumbarton and 3rd Lanark RV respectively. +First round resultsDateHome teamScoreAway teamVenue18 October 1873Renton2–0KilmarnockHampden Park, Crosshillnote Played at a neutral venue18 October 1873Eastern4–0RoversFlesher's Haugh, Glasgow18 October 1873Alexandra Athletic2–0CallanderKennyhill Park, Glasgow25 October 1873Queen's Park7–0DumbreckHampden Park, Crosshill25 October 1873Western0–1BlythswoodRegent's Park, Glasgow25 October 1873Clydesdale6–0GranvilleKinning Park, Kinning Park3rd Lanark RVw/onote Southern scratched and 3rd Lanark RV advanced to the quarter-finals.SouthernDumbartonw/onote Vale of Leven scratched and Dumbarton advanced to the quarter-finals.Vale of Leven Sources: Quarter-finals The quarter-final stage began on 8 November 1873 when Clydesdale and 3rd Lanark RV drew 1–1 at Kinning Park to set up the first Scottish Cup replay eight days later. This match also finished in a draw meaning a second replay was played on 6 December. In the meantime, Dumbarton lost 1–0 to Renton in a replay on a public park in Renton on 29 November 1873 after the first match had finished goalless a week earlier at the same venue.https://www.newspapers.com/article/glasgow-herald-football-reports-for-satu/133992466/ Football The Glasgow Herald 6 25 November 1873 Newspapers.com 25 October 2023 28 October 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231028140800/https://www.newspapers.com/article/glasgow-herald-football-reports-for-satu/133992466/ live https://www.newspapers.com/article/glasgow-herald-renton-v-dumbarton/133992855/ Football The Glasgow Herald 3 1 December 1873 Newspapers.com 25 October 2023 28 October 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231028140801/https://www.newspapers.com/article/glasgow-herald-renton-v-dumbarton/133992855/ live Queen's Park's match against Eastern was due to kick off at 15:00 but, due to the late arrival of the Eastern captain, kick-off was delayed by 20 minutes and the match was abandoned with 10 minutes still to play due to darkness as a result. Queen's Park were leading 1–0 and the result was allowed to stand.Scottish Association Challenge Cup The Glasgow Herald 24 November 1873 5 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000060/18731124/014/0005 British Newspaper Archive 7 November 2023 subscription Blythswood also reached the semi-finals without the need for a replay as they defeated Alexandra Athletic 2–0. In the last match of the quarter-final stage, Clydesdale defeated 3rd Lanark RV 2–0 at Kinning Park in their second replay.Clydesdale v 3d L.R.V. North British Daily Mail 8 December 1873 3 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0002683/18731208/044/0003 British Newspaper Archive 7 November 2023 subscription +Quarter-final resultsDateHome teamScoreAway teamVenue8 November 1873Clydesdale1–13rd Lanark RVKinning Park, Kinning Park22 November 1873Queen's Park1–0EasternHampden Park, Crosshill22 November 1873Renton0–0DumbartonPublic park, Renton22 November 1873Alexandra Athletic0–2BlythswoodKennyhill Park, Glasgow +Quarter-final replaysDateHome teamScoreAway teamVenue16 November 1873Clydesdale0–03rd Lanark RVKinning Park, Kinning Park29 November 1873Renton1–0DumbartonPublic park, Renton +Quarter-final second replayDateHome teamScoreAway teamVenue6 December 1873Clydesdale2–03rd Lanark RVKinning Park, Kinning Park Sources: Semi-finals The two semi-final matches were played a week apart in December 1873. Queen's Park were the first team to reach the final as they defeated Renton 2–0 at the original Hampden Park on 13 December. Clydesdale then booked their place in the inaugural final a week later as they recorded a 4–0 win over Blythswood at Kinning Park. The match had been abandoned after the fourth goal due to darkness but the result was allowed to stand.Football Association Cup Ties-Blythswood v. Clydesdale The Scotsman 22 December 1873 7 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000540/18731222/171/0007 British Newspaper Archive 7 November 2023 subscription +Semi-final resultsDateHome teamScoreAway teamVenue13 December 1873Queen's Park2–0RentonHampden Park, Crosshill20 December 1873Clydesdale4–0BlythswoodKinning Park, Kinning Park Sources: Final 1874 Scottish Cup final thumb|right|alt=A group of footballers wearing black and white hooped jerseys posing with a football and trophy|The Queen's Park players who won the 1874 Scottish Cup final. After 15 matches played and 36 goals scored, the tournament culminated in the 1874 Scottish Cup final on 21 March 1874.https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-cup-matches/?mid=91304 Scottish Cup Matches: Queen's Park F.C. vs Clydesdale F.C. Scottish Football Association 12 April 2019 26 March 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190326035319/https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-cup-matches/?mid=91304 live The match, played at the original Hampden Park in Crosshill, was watched by 2,500 spectators and refereed by James McIntyre of Eastern. As Hampden Park was the home of finalists Queen's Park, the match was one of a few cup finals in Scotland that were not played on neutral territory.https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-cup/archive/scottish-cup-history/scottish-cup-winners/ Scottish Cup – Past Winners Scottish Football Association 8 October 2019 15 April 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220415191634/https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-cup/archive/scottish-cup-history/scottish-cup-winners/ live Both goals came in the second half courtesy of the Scotland internationals Billy MacKinnon and Robert Leckie. Queen's Park won 2–0 to claim the trophy for the first of their 10 triumphs. 21 March 1874 15:00 Queen's Park 2–0 Clydesdale MacKinnon 60 Leckie 85 Hampden Park Crosshill 2,500 James McIntyre (Eastern) See also 1873–74 in Scottish football Notes note References External links Season 1873-74 Queen's Park [results list], The Beautiful Dribbling Game Scottish Cup 1873/74, RSSSF Association football Scotland Category:Scottish Cup seasons Cup