Edinburgh & District
Football League
1930-1935
|
See
also Final tables and introduction
were compiled by Alick Milne |
At the East of Scotland League AGM in 1930,
the bigger Border clubs forced through a change to the guarantee system at
the second time of asking. The clubs
(led by Duns, Berwick Rangers, Peebles Rovers and Coldstream)
complained that they each had eight journeys a season to the Lothians for League matches alone, and that apart from
Bathgate they received the bare guarantee of two pounds ten shillings; while
city clubs travelling to the Borders received not only the guarantee but half
of the receipts in excess of £5, perhaps as much as £10 or £15. For their part, the Edinburgh sides denied
this and claimed that only Peebles Rovers and Berwick Rangers regularly paid
more than the £2-10-0 minimum. The new arrangement saw the introduction of
a flat £3 guarantee, with the home club to keep the balance of gate
receipts. Edinburgh clubs were
appalled. £3 represented 120 adult
admissions, and few city clubs attracted that many spectators. In effect, they would be digging into their
own pockets at home matches and not offsetting their losses with half-gates
from their travels. Murrayfield Amateurs moved that the League be split into
Border and City sections, but were ruled out of order as no previous notice
had been given. Six of the capital
clubs – Murrayfield, Edinburgh City, Edinburgh
University, Leith Amateurs, Civil Service Strollers and Cameron Highlanders –
then resigned from the League to form the Edinburgh and District League. The new competition also expanded into
Fife, with Lochgelly Amateurs joining. Murrayfield Amateurs won the first
championship on goal average. In this season
Cameron Highlanders were transferred out of Redford Barracks on military
duties and their replacements, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, took over
their League fixtures in November.
Initially, the E&DL was not significantly stronger than the EoSL, but as time went on the rebels started to be more
successful in ESFA and national competitions.
In 1931 the League lost Edinburgh City, elected to the Scottish League
in lieu of anyone better, but City entered a fairly unsuccessful ‘A’ team in
the E&DL for 1931-32. Argyll &
Sutherland Highlanders admitted they were out of their depth and also
departed. Newcomers were two further
Fife sides – Burntisland Shipyard and Raith Rovers ‘A’ – and Bathgate, 1930-31 champions
of the EoSL. Bathgate had been supporters
of the new guarantee system, but once six short journeys to Edinburgh were
removed, regular travel to the Borders became an intolerable burden. Makeweights in the Scottish League,
Bathgate had found their level in East of Scotland competitions, and won the
1931-32 E&DL by a comfortable eight points. Ground problems forced them to resign in
1932, though, with the town council issuing a compulsory purchase order to
take over Mill Park for new housing.
In 1931-32 a League Cup was instituted, but was abandoned after a few
matches because of lack of available dates.
It did not reappear in subsequent seasons. For 1932-33 Raith
reserves and Bathgate dropped out, being replaced by West Calder amateur side
Mossend (who renamed themselves after the
once-famous Mossend Swifts) and short-lived rivals
to Shipyard in Burntisland Athletic. Murrayfield once
again took the championship. The following season, 1933-34, was the high
point of the E&DL. Burntisland Athletic dropped out, but there were further
defections from the EoSL in Penicuik
Athletic and Clerwood Amateurs, two further Fife
clubs (Rosyth Dockyard Recreation and RAF Donibristle), and new club Broxburn
St John’s. Vale of Leithen
had also considered transferring, but dropped the idea when derby rivals
Peebles Rovers wouldn’t entertain the idea.
Travel cost was a major factor, but EoSL
matches were plagued by late starts and blank Saturdays, and political
struggles between the Berwickshire and Border clubs. In Penicuik’s
case, though, a post-season committee decision to strip them of the 1932-33 EoSL title and award it to Peebles Rovers was the prime
motivation for the transfer. Penicuik romped to the 1933-34 title,
eleven points clear of Rosyth Dockyard. These clubs also achieved the unique feat
of sides from the same League winning the South and North Qualifying
Cups. The success of the E&DL was
now a serious threat to the EoSL, Peebles Rovers
announcing their decision to defect for 1933-34 – a move which would probably
have been followed by Vale of Leithen. However, a series of misfortunes in the
summer of 1934 effectively killed off the E&DL as a credible challenger
to the older competition. Civil Service Strollers were forced
out of Stenhouse Mills by a new greyhound stadium,
and Edinburgh City’s ‘A’ team were finding it too difficult to find a home
park (at the time they were still sharing with Leith Athletic). In late May prominent flour-mill owner
Thomas W. Tod, effectively the bankroller of Clerwood Amateurs, died, and his widow decided she didn’t
want a football pitch on her front lawn.
Apart from ground problems, costs forced Burntisland
Shipyard, Mossend Swifts and Lochgelly
to resign. Peebles Rovers and Penicuik Athletic surveyed the wreckage and swiftly
decided to return to the East of Scotland League for 1934-35, with Rovers not
having played a single match in the competition. The EoSL didn’t
offer clubs any change to the contentious guarantee system; those who
rejoined would do so under the League’s terms. Murrayfield
Amateurs played one E&DL match (not counting in the record books) and
returned to the EoSL. Rosyth Dockyard
Recreation were twice refused on grounds of
travelling costs, despite an SFA request for consideration. The four remaining clubs were joined by Bo’ness for the League’s final season (the first in which
there was an actual championship trophy).
With a shrunken fixture list, teams entered local amateur competitions
in order to fill their Saturdays.
Fixtures were few and far between once sides were eliminated from cup
competitions, the situation being exacerbated by University vacations and RAF
leave. It became apparent that Bo’ness were only League members in order to keep a side
together for the Scottish Cup - they effectively refused to play away
matches, and resigned in January after a 9-0 thrashing at Cappielow. In March, Edinburgh University had to
cancel a League match with Rosyth Dockyard because
of a King Cup tie, after which they were on Easter vacation. With no other competitive fixtures in
sight, Dockyard wound up for the season; but the points they had in the bag
were enough to give them the title as the competition stumbled to its final
conclusion. |
|
Edinburgh & District League champions |
|
1930-31
Murrayfield Amateurs 1931-32
Bathgate 1932-33
Murrayfield Amateurs 1933-34
Penicuik Athletic 1934-35
Rosyth Dockyard |
|
Membership |
Seasons |
Came from |
Left for |
|
Argyll
& Sutherland Highlanders Bathgate Bo'ness Broxburn St John's Burntisland Athletic Burntisland Shipyard Amateurs Cameron Highlanders Civil
Service Strollers Clerwood Amateurs Lochgelly Amateurs Mossend Swifts Murrayfield Amateurs Penicuik Athletic RAF Donibristle Raith Rovers 'A' Rosyth Dockyard |
1930-31 1931-32 1934-35 1933-34 1932-33 1931-1934 1930-31 1930-1934 1933-34 1930-31 1931-1934 1930-1935 1930-1935 1930-1934 1932-1934 1930-1935 1933-34 1933-1935 1931-32 1933-1935 |
East of
Scottish
East of Scotland League East of
East of
East of
East of
East of
East of
East of
|
Scottish
Combination Scottish
League East of
East of
East of
|
Cameron Highlanders played four matches of
the 1930-31 season before the regiment moved out of Redford Barracks.
Their fixtures were taken over by Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
Lochgelly Amateurs changed
their name to Lochgelly for 1931-32.
Peebles Rovers joined in 1934-35, but didn’t
play any games
Murrayfield Amateurs rejoined
the East of Scotland League after playing one game in 1934-35, which was
expunged by the League.
|
|
1930-31 |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
1 |
Murrayfield
Amateurs |
10 |
8 |
0 |
2 |
39 |
13 |
16 |
|
2 |
Edinburgh City |
12 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
30 |
16 |
16 |
|
3 |
Edinburgh University |
12 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
36 |
22 |
16 |
|
4 |
Civil Service Strollers |
12 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
24 |
29 |
12 |
|
5 |
Leith Amateurs |
12 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
25 |
38 |
9 |
|
6 |
Lochgelly
Amateurs |
11 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
22 |
34 |
8 |
|
7 |
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders |
11 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
20 |
44 |
3 |
Cameron Highlanders played four matches before
the regiment moved out of Redford Barracks. Their fixtures were taken
over by Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
|
|
1931-32 |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
1 |
Bathgate |
16 |
13 |
2 |
1 |
52 |
25 |
28 |
|
2 |
Murrayfield
Amateurs |
14 |
9 |
2 |
3 |
38 |
26 |
20 |
|
3 |
Raith
Rovers ‘A’ |
16 |
8 |
2 |
6 |
51 |
39 |
18 |
|
4 |
Burntisland
Shipyard Amateurs |
16 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
40 |
39 |
17 |
|
5 |
Lochgelly |
14 |
8 |
0 |
6 |
45 |
39 |
16 |
|
6 |
Edinburgh University |
13 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
32 |
30 |
13 |
|
7 |
Civil Service Strollers |
15 |
4 |
1 |
10 |
33 |
43 |
9 |
|
8 |
Edinburgh City ‘A’ |
14 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
17 |
45 |
8 |
|
9 |
Leith Amateurs |
16 |
2 |
1 |
13 |
22 |
44 |
5 |
|
|
1932-33 |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
1 |
Murrayfield
Amateurs |
14 |
11 |
2 |
1 |
47 |
17 |
24 |
|
2 |
Leith Amateurs |
14 |
10 |
0 |
4 |
49 |
27 |
20 |
|
3 |
Edinburgh University |
14 |
7 |
1 |
6 |
35 |
25 |
15 |
|
4 |
Lochgelly |
14 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
37 |
37 |
15 |
|
5 |
Mossend
Swifts |
16 |
7 |
1 |
8 |
42 |
44 |
15 |
|
6 |
Civil Service Strollers |
14 |
6 |
1 |
7 |
32 |
38 |
13 |
|
7 |
Burntisland
Shipyard Amateurs |
16 |
5 |
1 |
10 |
32 |
55 |
11 |
|
8 |
Burntisland
Athletic |
11 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
27 |
31 |
8 |
|
9 |
Edinburgh City ‘A’ |
13 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
22 |
49 |
5 |
|
|
1933-34 |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
1 |
Penicuik
Athletic |
24 |
22 |
0 |
2 |
121 |
37 |
44 |
|
2 |
Rosyth
Dockyard Recreation |
22 |
15 |
3 |
4 |
81 |
43 |
33 |
|
3 |
Leith Amateurs |
20 |
12 |
3 |
5 |
51 |
35 |
27 |
|
4 |
Clerwood
Amateurs |
19 |
11 |
4 |
4 |
65 |
39 |
26 |
|
5 |
Murrayfield
Amateurs |
20 |
9 |
4 |
7 |
53 |
43 |
22 |
|
6 |
Burntisland
Shipyard Amateurs |
18 |
7 |
2 |
9 |
39 |
53 |
16 |
|
7 |
Edinburgh University |
10 |
6 |
1 |
3 |
29 |
14 |
13 |
|
8 |
Mossend
Swifts |
17 |
6 |
0 |
11 |
38 |
54 |
12 |
|
9 |
Civil Service Strollers |
19 |
4 |
2 |
13 |
33 |
56 |
10 |
|
10 |
Broxburn
St. John’s |
17 |
4 |
1 |
12 |
37 |
71 |
9 |
|
11 |
Edinburgh City ‘A’ |
17 |
2 |
4 |
11 |
31 |
65 |
8 |
|
12 |
R.A.F. Donibristle |
13 |
2 |
0 |
11 |
13 |
52 |
4 |
|
13 |
Lochgelly |
10 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
15 |
44 |
2 |
|
|
1934-35 |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
1 2 3 4 5 |
Rosyth Dockyard Recreation Edinburgh
Bo’ness RAF Donibristle |
6 7 5 4 6 |
3 3 2 2 1 |
2 1 2 1 0 |
1 3 1 1 5 |
18 15 21 17 6 |
8 18 11 6 34 |
8 7 6 5 2 |
Table based on one printed in February
1935, with subsequent results added.
RAF Donibristle
v Edinburgh University – no result found and it’s uncertain if the game was
ever played.
Peebles Rovers joined for 1934-35, but
didn’t play a match
Murrayfield Amateurs played a single match on 18 August (Rosyth
2-2 Murrayfield) - they then returned to the East of
Scotland League, and the result was never included in the table.