1875–76 Edinburgh Football Association Cup

April 2022 Edinburgh Football Association Cup 1875-76 Scotland Edinburgh 20 November 1875 - 11 March 1876 4 3rd E.R.V. Thistle 3 The 1875–76 Edinburgh Football Association Cup was the first edition of the first regional football tournament played to Football Association laws. Background The first Association match in Edinburgh was between sides raised by Queen's Park F.C. and Clydesdale F.C., on 27 December 1873, with a view to promoting Association laws;Scottish Football Association - great match at Edinburgh Morning Post 20 December 1873 3 hitherto the existing football clubs in Edinburgh, such as Edinburgh Academical Football Club and schools such as Merchiston Castle School, had played under rugby union rules.Alcock Charles Football Annual 1870 60–61 The Edinburgh Football Association was founded on 11 September 1875 at the Buchanan Hotel with four members: the 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers; the Thistle; Hanover, and Heart of Midlothan. The original intention was to form "the Eastern branch of the Scottish Football Association", but as the Scottish FA refused permission to use the title, the Edinburgh Football Association was adopted as a name instead.East of Scotland Shield http://sfha.org.uk/eosshield.htm Scottish Football Historical Archive 5 March 2023 The Hibernian F.C. was refused permission to enter the EFA on the basis that "they played rough and affiliated clubs were asked not to play them".Rafferty John One Hundred Years of Scottish Football 1973 Macmillan 978-0330236546 17 One of the key influences on the 3rd E.R.V. was John Hope, who had founded the Foot-Ball Club of Edinburgh in 1824,Robinson George John Hope's Water Rats https://victorianweb.org/history/army/3.html Victorian Web 4 March 2023 and who had raised a regiment which had been absorbed into the 3rd in 1867. Hope was staunchly Protestant, and led the opposition to having an "Irish" club in the association.Finn G Ninety Minute Patriots?: Scottish Sport and the Making of a Nation 1994 Leicester University Press 97 Semi-finals The EFA set up a competition for its members and all four entered. The first match "for the Eastern branch trophy" was played on 20 November 1875, between the Thistle and the Heart of Midlothian, and took place on the eastern part of the Meadows, as almost all of the early matches in Edinburgh did. Thistle won 1–0.Thistle v Heart of Midlothian (Eastern Branch Cup tie) Edinburgh Evening News 22 November 1875 The other match, a de facto semi-final, on 11 December saw the 3rd E.R.V. beat Hanover 2–0, also on the Meadows.report Scotsman 13 December 1875 Final The final was played on the Meadows on 11 March 1876, the same day as the 1876 Scottish Cup final. The Edinburgh final proved to be a one-sided affair, with the 3rd E.R.V. winning 6–0. The play was "very fast" and the forward play of the Volunteers "deserving of much praise".3d E.R.V. v Thistle Scotsman 13 March 1876 11 March 1876 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers 6–0 Edinburgh Thistle Meadows Mr O'Brien (3rd) and Mr Donnelly (Thistle) _thinbluehoops _thinbluehoops _thinbluehoops _hoops_white 1F75FE 3rd E.R.V._whitehorizontal 000080 000080 000080 000080 Edinburgh Thistle 3rd E.R.V.GK SCO A. W. Lamont (captain)FB SCO J. StenhouseFB SCO C. UttersonHB SCO A. MitchellHB SCO J. ShawFW SCO T. FraserFW SCO D. HoggFW SCO J. SinclairFW SCO H. StewartFW SCO J. WilkinsonFW SCO J. WoodThistle:GK SCO ParkFB SCO M'GeorgeFB SCO WishartHB SCO HendersonHB SCO JohnstonFW SCO D. M'Intosh (captain)FW SCO H. M'IntoshFW SCO FisherFW SCO CochraneFW SCO M'NeilFW SCO M'Donald Aftermath The competition was barely noticed in the Edinburgh papers, only one report of the final mentioning the surnames of the players, and none mentioning the scorers in any of the ties. The final was not even mentioned in the Glasgow media, the North British Daily Mail listing two rugby fixtures in Edinburgh for 11 March, but not the Edinburgh Cup final.Local football fixtures North British Daily Mail 10 March 1876 6 However the association game became the dominant code in Edinburgh, with much more comprehensive reporting, within a couple of years. The Hibernian was allowed into the Edinburgh FA for 1876–77, following pressure from players of other clubs.Campbell John We Are Hibernian FC - Part Two https://www.hibs.net/content.php?55-We-Are-Hibernian-FC-Part-Two hibsnet 5 March 2023 That season, Thistle was awarded the trophy by default, as opponents the 3rd E.R.V. did not show up.Thistle v 3d E.R.V. (Final Tie Edinburgh Association Cup) Scotsman 26 February 1877 By 1879–80, the tournament had grown to 22 clubs; when the Hibs won the trophy for the third consecutive year in 1880–81, the club was awarded the trophy in perpetuity, and the competition renamed the Edinburgh Shield.Mackay, John. (1990). Hibernian: The Complete Story, Edinburgh: Sportsprint Publishing. 0-85976-321-8 Since 1889 it has been played for as the East of Scotland Shield. References Category:1875–76 in Scottish football Category:1870s in Edinburgh Category:March 1876 in the United Kingdom Category:Football competitions in Edinburgh Category:Heart of Midlothian F.C. Category:History of football in Scotland