South
of Scotland Football League
Second
version 1946-date
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See also South of Scotland League
overview |
When league football was re-established
in 1946, the title Southern Counties League couldn't be used because two
members - Ayr United 'A' and Kilmarnock 'A' - were not members of the
Southern Counties FA. Instead the new competition was called the South of
Scotland Football League. This first
season saw the league played in two sections, East and West, but it reverted
to a single section and has been played as such since. By 1950 the league’s membership had been
reduced to seven clubs. To compensate for the lack of fixtures, the League
Cup was introduced. This was played on a league basis with the section
winners meeting in the final. It has also been played as a straight knock-out
competition. During the seasons that it wasn’t played for, 1962-1968 and
1973-1975, it was awarded to the League runners-up. As the league has invariably had a small
membership, in a number of seasons clubs played each other four times instead
of twice. There has since been an increase in membership since the 1990s. The following page is a simple summary of
the league. For fuller details I would thoroughly recommend Malcolm Pagan’s
book ‘Senior Non-League Football in South West Scotland’ (1996), As well as
club histories, it also features all cup winners, and every final league
table since 1892. Copies are available from the Scottish Non League Review.
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South
of Scotland League Champions
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South
of Scotland League Cup winners
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1946-47 Ayr United 'A' (beat Stranraer in play-off) 1947-48 Ayr United 'A' 1948-49 Stranraer 1949-50 Tarff Rovers 1950-51 Newton Stewart 1951-52 Wigtown & Bladnoch 1952-53 Tarff Rovers 1953-54 Wigtown & Bladnoch 1954-55 St Cuthbert Wanderers 1955-56 Newton Stewart 1956-57 St Cuthbert Wanderers 1957-58 Greystone Rovers 1958-59 St Cuthbert Wanderers 1959-60 Stranraer reserves 1960-61 Stranraer reserves 1961-62 Stranraer reserves 1962-63 Tarff Rovers 1963-64 Tarff Rovers 1964-65 Threave Rovers 1965-66 Stranraer reserves 1966-67 Stranraer reserves 1967-68 Stranraer reserves 1968-69 Threave Rovers 1969-70 Stranraer reserves 1970-71 St Cuthbert Wanderers 1971-72 Threave Rovers 1972-73 Stranraer reserves 1973-74 Stranraer reserves 1974-75 Stranraer reserves 1975-76 Stranraer reserves 1976-77 Stranraer reserves 1977-78 Girvan Amateurs 1978-79 Threave Rovers 1979-80 Lincluden Swifts 1980-81 St Cuthbert Wanderers 1981-82 Stranraer reserves 1982-83 Stranraer reserves 1983-84 Annan Athletic 1984-85 Dalbeattie Star 1985-86 Dalbeattie Star 1986-87 Annan Athletic 1987-88 Newton Stewart 1988-89 Dalbeattie Star 1989-90 Girvan 1990-91 Maxwelltown HSFP 1991-92 Wigtown & Bladnoch 1992-93 Threave Rovers 1993-94 Threave Rovers 1994-95 Threave Rovers 1995-96 St Cuthbert Wanderers 1996-97 Queen of the South reserves 1997-98 Tarff Rovers 1998-99 Tarff Rovers 1999-00 Tarff Rovers 2000-01 abandoned because of a foot and mouth
outbreak 2001-02 Tarff Rovers 2002-03 Stranraer Athletic 2003-04 Stranraer Athletic 2004-05 Stranraer Athletic 2005-06 Threave Rovers 2006-07 Threave Rovers 2007-08 Crichton 2008-09 Threave Rovers |
------ ------ ------ ------ Newton Stewart Wigtown & Bladnoch Wigtown & Bladnoch St Cuthbert Wanderers Tarff Rovers Tarff Rovers Stranraer reserves Stranraer reserves Newton Stewart Tarff Rovers Tarff Rovers Stranraer reserves Threave Rovers Stranraer reserves Tarff Rovers Tarff Rovers Threave Rovers Tarff Rovers Stranraer reserves St Cuthbert Wanderers St Cuthbert Wanderers Threave Rovers St Cuthbert Wanderers Stranraer reserves St Cuthbert Wanderers Girvan Stranraer reserves Girvan Lincluden Swifts Lincluden Swifts Threave Rovers St Cuthbert Wanderers Annan Athletic Wigtown & Bladnoch Annan Athletic Newton Stewart Wigtown & Bladnoch Threave Rovers Dalbeattie Star Threave Rovers Threave Rovers Girvan Dalbeattie Star Threave Rovers Wigtown & Bladnoch St Cuthbert Wanderers Queen of the South reserves Tarff Rovers Tarff Rovers Tarff Rovers Newton Stewart Girvan Crichton Stranraer Athletic Annan Athletic reserves Creetown Threave Rovers St Cuthbert Wanderers St Cuthbert Wanderers |
Note that between 1962 and 1968, and
from 1973 to1975, there wasn’t a separate League Cup competition. Instead the
runner-up in the League were awarded the trophy.
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South of Scotland League Membership |
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Abbey Vale Annan Athletic Annan Athletic reserves Ayr United 'A' Crichton Creetown Dalbeattie Star Dalbeattie Star reserves Dumfries Dumfries High School Former Pupils Dumfries United Fleet Star Girvan Glenluce Gretna reserves Gretna Community Greystone Rovers Heathhall Athletic Heston Rovers Kilmarnock 'A' Lincluden Swifts Maxwelltown High School Former Pupils Mid-Annandale Newton Stewart Nithsdale Wanderers (1) Nithsdale Wanderers (2) Queen of the South reserves RAF West Freugh St Cuthbert Wanderers Solway Star Stranraer Stranraer reserves Stranraer Athletic Tarff Rovers Threave Rovers Whithorn Wigtown & Bladnoch |
2001- 1977-1987 1987-1991, 1992-2009 1946-48 1992- 1946-48, 1972- 1946-47, 1976-2001, 2009- 2001-2009 2000- 1994-2000 1987-88 2004- 1951-62, 1975- 1948-50 2001-03 1991-92 1956-58 1948-50 2008- 1946-48 1977-80 1990-2000 2003- 1946- 1946-47, 1948-50 2001- 1972-73, 1992-93, 1996-97, 2003-04 1948-49 1946- 1946-47 1946-49 1949-88, 1990-91, 2003-04. 2007- 1995-2008 1946-88, 1990-2003 1959-1998, 2004- 1946-59, 1962-63, 1964-69 1946- |
Notes:
Crichton was known as Blackwood Dynamoes until 1999.
The club was supposed to be called Crichton Royal, but the suffix has never
been used.
Dumfries was formed by the merger of Dumfries High
School Former Pupils and Dumfries Amateurs.
Heston Rovers Youth FC, who were formed in 1978,
merged with Dumfries in 2008 retaining Heston Rovers as the name of the new
club.
The following clubs have all resigned during the
season:
Creetown 1975-76
Girvan 1978-79
Gretna Community 1991-92
RAF West Freugh 1948-49
St Cuthbert Wanderers 1977-78
Wigtown & Bladnoch 1962-63 and 1972-73
Dumfries United actually resigned before the season
started.
Three clubs ie Annan Athletic (since 1987), Dalbeattie
Star (2001-2009) and Threave Rovers (1998-2004) have all ran teams in the East
of Scotland League.