Scottish Football Combination

The Scottish Football Combination was a football league football structure set up in Scotland for clubs outside the Scottish Football League and the reserves (or A sides) of some of the League members.

## History

[edit]

### 1896–1911

[edit]

The competition was formed on 7 July 1896, by sides from various other competitions, including the Scottish Football Alliance and the Midland League.[1] A handful of reserve clubs also expressed a wish to join, and these were accepted; indeed, the competition was over-subscribed, Hamilton Academical being accepted as members over Albion Rovers by 9 votes to 7, and Third Lanark's A side being preferred to that of Clyde. Nutt of Wishaw Thistle was the inaugural president, with Willie Maley of Celtic as vice-president.[2]

Reserve sides won the first four titles; the prestige of the competition was such that on six occasions before 1906 member clubs were elected to the Scottish League. In 1906, another competition, the Scottish Football Union, was formed, and six clubs left the Combination for the Union. Although new clubs were recruited, the status of the Combination took a blow, and the competition petered out during the 1910–11 season.

### 1935–37

[edit]

A second Football Combination was formed with a similar mix of A teams and first XIs in 1935; the A teams were those ineligible to join the regular reserve league as their parent clubs were not in the Scottish First Division.[3] The first President of the revived league was A. A. Jackson of Ayr United and the competition was initially made up of seven clubs,[4] although one of them (Rosyth Dockyard) withdrew before the season started. Clubs agreed to pay 15 third-class railway fares to visiting clubs, and admission was capped at 6d.[5]

This only lasted one full season; the second season saw two clubs stop playing partway through and the Combination disbanded before the 1937–38 season.[6]

## Membership

[edit]

* 5th K.O.S.B.: 1908–10
* Albion Rovers: 1897–1903
* Alloa Athletic: 1903–06
* Annbank: 1909–10
* Arthurlie: 1897–1901
* Ayr Parkhouse: 1904–06
* Ayr United A: 1935–37
* Bathgate: 1905–06
* Beith: 1903–09
* Bo'ness: 1935–37
* Broxburn Athletic: 1906–08
* Camelon: 1903–05
* Celtic A: 1896–97
* Cowdenbeath A: 1906–07
* Dalbeattie Star: 1935–37
* Dumbarton: 1905–06
* Dumfries: 1906–11
* Dykehead: 1905–09
* East Stirlingshire: 1896–97
* Edinburgh City A: 1935–37
* Falkirk: 1896–97
* Galston: 1904–09
* Girvan Athletic: 1908–11, 1935–37
* Hamilton Academical: 1896–98
* Heart of Midlothian A: 1896–97, 1898–99
* Hurlford: 1898–1905, 1806–08
* Johnstone: 1898–1905, 1906–08
* Kilbarchan: 1899–1904
* Lanemark: 1907–11
* Lanark: 1902–03
* Maxwelltown Volunteers: 1907–08
* Maybole: 1906–11
* Morton A: 1903–05
* Nithsdale Wanderers: 1909–11, 1935–37
* Queen's Park Strollers/Victoria XI: 1892–1902, 1903–11, 1935–37
* Rangers A: 1896–1899
* Renton: 1902–06
* Royal Albert: 1896–1906
* St Mirren A: 1899–1904
* Stenhousemuir: 1896–97, 1905–06
* Stranraer: 1935–37
* Third Lanark A: 1897–1903, 1935–36
* Thornliebank: 1897–1901, 1902–06
* Vale OCOBA: 1935–37
* Vale of Leven: 1902–05
* Wishaw Thistle: 1896–1900
* Wishaw United: 1900–03

## Champions

[edit]

Team | Titles | Seasons

|
|

Albion Rovers | 2 | 1901–02, 1902–03
Arthurlie | 1 | 1900–01
Ayr United A | 1 | 1936–37
Beith | 1 | 1904–05
Dalbeattie Star | 1 | 1935–66
Dumbarton | 1 | 1905–06
Galston | 3 | 1906–07 (shared), 1907–08, 1908–09
Girvan Athletic | 1 | 1910–11 (shared)
Heart of Midlothian A | 1 | 1896–97
Johnstone | 1 | 1906–07 (shared)
Nithsdale Wanderers | 1 | 1909–10
Queen's Park Strollers | 1 | 1899–1900
Rangers A | 2 | 1897–98, 1898–99
Royal Albert | 1 | 1903–04

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The new Football Combination". Wishaw Press: 2. 11 July 1896.
2. ^ "Football". Daily Record: 7. 8 July 1896.
3. ^ Crampsey, Bob (1990). The First 100 Years: Scottish Football League. Scottish Football League. p. 292.
4. ^ "New Football League". Airdrie Advertiser: 6. 27 July 1935.
5. ^ "Sports notes". Airdrie Advertiser: 6. 3 August 1935.
6. ^ "East of Scotland League". Lothian Courier: 7. 17 September 1937.

## External links

[edit]

* Full tables and results

## See also

[edit]

* Defunct leagues in Scottish football

* v
* t
* e

Defunct football competitions in Scotland

National leagues|

| Senior|

* Scottish Football League
* Premier Division
* First Division
* Second Division
* Third Division
* Scottish Premier League
* War Emergency League

|

Non league|

* Scottish Football Alliance
* Scottish Football Federation
* Scottish Football Union
* Scottish Junior Football League

Age groups|

* Scottish Premier Reserve League
* SPFL Development League

Regional leagues|

| Supplementary|

* Edinburgh League
* Glasgow and West of Scotland League
* Glasgow League
* Inter City League
* Inter City Midweek League
* Inter County League
* Lanarkshire League
* Renfrewshire League
* Scottish County League

|

Junior|

* Ayrshire Junior League
* Central Junior League
* East Junior League
* Fife Junior League
* Glasgow Junior League
* Lanarkshire Junior League
* North Junior League
* Scottish Intermediate League
* Scottish Junior East Region Leagues
* Superleague/Premiership
* Premier League
* North Division
* Central Division
* South Division
* Scottish Junior West Region Leagues
* Premiership
* Championship
* League One
* League Two
* Ayrshire District
* Central 1st
* Central 2nd
* Tayside Junior League

Wartime|

* North Eastern League
* Southern League

Other|

* Combined Reserve League
* Ayrshire and Renfrewshire League
* Ayrshire Combination
* Ayrshire League
* Central Combination
* Central League
* Dumfries and Galloway leagues
* Eastern League
* Midland League
* Northern League
* Perthshire League
* Southern Counties League (Scotland)

Cup competitions|

| Cross border|

* Anglo-Scottish Cup
* British League Cup
* Coronation Cup
* Dubai Champions Cup
* Empire Exhibition Trophy
* Football World Championship
* Friendship Cup
* Texaco Cup

|

National|

* Drybrough Cup
* Qualifying Cup
* SFA Challenge Cup
* North Region
* Saint Mungo Cup
* Spring Cup
* Summer Cup
* Supplementary Cup
* Tennents' Sixes

Regional|

* Ayrshire Cup
* Churchill Cup
* Dumbartonshire Cup
* Edinburgh Exhibition Cup
* Glasgow Charity Cup
* Glasgow Dental Hospital Cup
* Glasgow Exhibition Cup
* 1888
* 1901
* Glasgow North Eastern Cup
* Lanarkshire Cup
* Lord Provost's Cup
* North Ayrshire Cup
* Perthshire Cup
* Rosebery Charity Cup
* West of Scotland Junior Cup
* Wilson Cup

Wartime|

* North Eastern League Cup
* Southern League Cup
* Victory Cup
* 1919
* 1946
* War Emergency Cup
* War Fund Shield

Friendly|

* Allison Trophy
* ARR Craib Cup
* Caledonia Trophy
* Evening Telegraph Cup
* Festival Cup
* Glasgow International Tournament
* Ibrox Trophy
* Lord Provost Charity Cup
* Tennent Caledonian Cup

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template