1939–40 Scottish War Emergency League

Football league set up during World War II The Scottish War Emergency League was a football league competition set up in the 1939–40 season of Scottish football, after the usual official competitions were suspended due to the outbreak of World War II.Emergency competition 1939–40, Scottish Football Historical Archive (archived version, 2009) The Scottish Football League officially suspended its competition on 13 September 1939 and set up a committee to investigate the possibility of regional league competitions. These were rubber-stamped on 26 September after the Home Secretary had granted permission, they commenced a month later. There were two divisions; eastern and western; each consisting of 16 clubs. This left out six of the previous league clubs; Montrose, Brechin City, Forfar Athletic, Leith Athletic, Edinburgh City and East Stirlingshire. Cowdenbeath resigned halfway through the season, they had played all the other clubs once and so their record was allowed to stand. The competition was completed by a play-off between the two divisional winners, who were Rangers and Falkirk; Rangers won 2–1 at Hampden Park. For the following season, competitions were organised separately in different parts of the country: the Southern Football League and the North Eastern Football League, which lasted until the resumption of official competitions in 1946 (although the Southern League 'absorbed' the North Eastern League in the 1945–46 season). Western division main WDL Western division 5 2 RAN Rangers QoS Queen of the South HAM Hamilton Academical MOT Motherwell MOR Morton ALB Albion Rovers CLY Clyde KIL Kilmarnock AIR Airdrieonians STM St Mirren PAR Partick Thistle THI Third Lanark CEL Celtic QPA Queen's Park AYR Ayr United DUM Dumbarton 22 4 4 72 36 17 6 7 77 55 15 8 7 78 55 15 8 7 64 56 14 5 11 64 46 15 2 13 62 60 11 9 10 68 51 13 5 12 63 63 14 2 14 63 61 11 4 15 59 66 10 6 14 57 74 10 5 15 53 78 9 6 15 55 61 7 7 16 55 82 7 5 18 50 66 7 4 19 48 78 #ffebad A complete Eastern division main WDL Eastern division 5 Q 2 FAL Falkirk DNF Dunfermline Athletic HOM Heart of Midlothian ABE Aberdeen STJ St Johnstone ALL Alloa Athletic DND Dundee HIB Hibernian DDU Dundee United EFF East Fife RAI Raith Rovers KPA King's Park STB St Bernard's ARB Arbroath STE Stenhousemuir COW Cowdenbeath 20 5 4 106 47 19 2 8 80 55 18 4 7 104 66 16 4 9 86 50 13 8 8 84 69 13 4 12 56 60 11 8 10 70 62 12 5 12 82 65 12 2 15 68 77 11 3 15 80 91 10 3 16 69 85 9 4 16 62 88 8 5 16 44 77 6 5 18 44 91 7 3 19 52 98 7 1 7 38 44 #ffebad A complete Play-off 1 June 1940Disputed Ibrox Goal Falkirk Reasonably Annoyed, The Glasgow Herald, 3 June 1940 Rangers 2–1 Falkirk Venters 25Little 84 Napier 60 Ibrox Park, Glasgow P. CraigmyleMatch details Scottish League Championship Decider, Better Meddle 15,0002–1 Vs Falkirk in Championship Decider, 01/06/1940, FitbaStats Rangers Teams Falkirk: GK Gibby McKieRB Jim McPhieLB Alex PeatRH Archie MillerCH Bob ShanklyLH Hugh MurrayOR Bobby KeyesIR Willie MillerCF David McCullochIL Charlie NapierOL Kenny DawsonRangers: GK Jerry DawsonRB Dougie GrayLB Jock ShawRH Tom McKillopCH Willie WoodburnLHScot SymonOR Willie WaddellIR Ian McPhersonCF Jimmy SmithIL Alex VentersOL Adam Little References Category:Wartime football in Scotland Category:1939–40 in Scottish football Category:Defunct football leagues in Scotland Category:Sports leagues established in 1939 Category:Sports leagues disestablished in 1940 Category:1939 establishments in Scotland Category:1940 disestablishments in Scotland