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| The early days of the Cup saw it take up almost permanent residence in Queen's Park's own trophy room until strong challengers like long-gone Vale of Leven and Renton, as well as more familiar names such as Hibernian and Dumbarton and the more recently departed Third Lanark emerged to capture the prize. Until the formation of the Scottish League in 1890 Queen's Park won the trophy nine times. They have managed just one since. 1890-1914 The League's establishment saw the big guns take over. Celtic had reached the Final in their first year of existence and they won the cup nine times up until the outbreak of the First World War. Surprisingly Rangers record was nowhere near as good. It took the Gers 20 years before recording their first success in 1894 (in the first Old Firm Final). And while they won another three times up until 1903, it took an amazing quarter of a century after that before the Scottish Cup was carried up the marble Ibrox staircase. Hearts enjoyed great success too winning four times in five year spells, 1891,1896,1901,1906. The 1896 Final was an oddity. Played between two Edinburgh clubs (Hearts and Hibs) on the Edinburgh ground of the Cup holders (St Bernard's). Over 100 years later there has never been another Edinburgh 'derby' Cup Final. Hibs brought the Cup to the capital as well while Queen's Park had their tenth triumph and Third Lanark their second to give the other Glasgow clubs a look-in and Dundee won their first and only Cup in 1910. The most remarkable victory during this period though was that of Falkirk in 1913. The first time in 25 years that the Cup had been won by a team from outwith a major city. While in 1909 it wasn't won at all. Rioting Old Firm fans saw to that - a salutary tale for those who think football's crowd problems have only emerged during the past 30 years. |
The Scottish Cup entered an exciting phase of its development after 1919 with several of the so-called 'smaller' sides winning the tournament. Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Morton, Airdrie and St Mirren were all successful before the Old Firm took the reins once more. From 1927-37 inclusive, Kilmarnock in 1929 were the solitary non-Old Firm winners. But just before the Second World War came two amazing successes in Finals in which neither of the Glasgow giants appeared. First came East Fife, the only Second Division winners in 1938 followed a year later by Clyde, the smallest of the Glasgow clubs. Although first contested in 1873-74, the Scottish Cup was
suspended during both World Wars. As a result the 100th Final wasn't
until 1985. |
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1919-39
