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 2009-10
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 Stranraer reserves |
Note that
between 1962 and 1968, and from 1973 to 1975, 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
Royal 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,
1975-2005 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.
