List of minor Scottish Qualifying Cup entrants
This is a list of association football clubs which entered the Scottish Qualifying Cup between 1895 and 1939, which never made it through to the Scottish Cup proper, and which lack the prominence for their own Wikipedia pages.
2nd Scottish Rifles F.C.
History
The club was formed from the Cameronians 2nd battalion; a volunteer battalion from the same regiment had been playing since the 1890s as the Cameronians, and the 2nd Rifles had a team at least by 1895, when the regiment was based in Parkhurst, Isle of Wight.The club played in the Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1905–06, 1906–07, and 1914–15, when based in Glasgow, losing in the first two seasons to Clyde in its only ties, and scratching the final time; after losing to Clyde in the 1906–07 competition, the battalion was deployed to Aldershot, and played in the FA Amateur Cup.
The battalion continued playing football even during the First World War, winning a regimental tournament in France in 1915–16.
Colours
The club wore green and black, probably based on the regimental tartan.Ground
The club played out of Maryhill Barracks when based in Glasgow.Allanvale F.C.
History
Allanvale F.C. was from the village of Blackford in Perthshire, and played junior football until joining the Scottish Football Association in May 1911. The club's most notable achievement as a junior club was twice reaching the final of the Perthshire Consolation Cup for clubs eliminated from the Perthshire Cup before the final. In 1906–07 it lost to Tulloch 2–0 in a replay, after drawing the original final at Crieff – a plan to play extra-time was scuppered by the Allanvale side needing to catch trains back to Blackford. It also lost 2–1 to Stanley in the final in 1909–10, played at Perth, having taken the lead after M'Feat scored from a corner, but conceded twice in the second half.The club played twice in the Scottish Qualifying Cup, losing 6–1 to Crieff Morrisonians in the first round in 1911–12, and 3–2 at home to Huntingtower in the first round in 1912–13. The club also entered the West Perthshire League in 1911–12, but the competition was never finished – fortunately for Allanvale as it had lost all of its four matches.
The club appears to have ceased operations before the First World War, resigning its Scottish FA membership in August 1913, but the name continued as a juvenile football club in the 1920s, winning the Crieff and District Juvenile Cup in 1921.
Colours
The club wore green jerseys.Ground
The club played on a public park in Blackford.Annan F.C. (1896)
History
Annan F.C. was an association football club from Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, active in the late 19th century. It was the second club of that name, and was founded in the wake of the dissolving of the previous Annan, under the name Rose of Annan F.C., as a junior club. Its earliest recorded match is a 10–0 victory over the 34th Regiment of Carlisle in November 1896.In 1898, the club changed its name to Annan and joined the Scottish Football Association, and also had the advantage of gaining some players from rival junior club Border Annan which had "gone to the wall". The club entered the Scottish Qualifying Cup for the first time that season, and beat Nithsdale of Dumfries in the first round, but lost at home to Wigtown in the second. The club also entered the Southern Counties Cup for the first time, losing 7–3 at home to Newton Stewart Athletic in the semi-final.
The club was further strengthened in 1899 by the collapse of Carlisle City AFC, and recruited Young, Burgess, Russell, and Graham from the defunct English side, and caused something of a shock in the Qualifying Cup, beating Dumfries Hibernians 3–0 in the first round, contrary to all expectations; the club lost at Dumfries in the second, putting up a strong fight before the home side's superior fitness told. Hibs gained revenge with a 5–0 win in the second round of the County competition.
With a second club in the town having ambitions on seniority, Annan was humiliated 12–1 by Douglas Wanderers in the first round of the 1900–01 Qualifying Cup, albeit it did beat Thornhill in the Southern Counties, enough to put the club in the semi-final. In the last four Annan again conceded seven, but this time scoring four, in its tie against the 6th Galloway Volunteer side.
Annan's position in the local district was put into perspective by its appearances in the Dumfries & Galloway Cup – it lost every tie it played in its three entries from 1898 to 1900. The club did not play football in the 1901–02 season and was struck from the Scottish FA roll of members in August 1902.
Colours
The club originally wore light blue jerseys, changing in 1902 to crimson and primrose.Ground
The club originally played at Caledonian Park. The club planned to move to Seaforth Park in 1899, but instead moved to Mill Park.Annan United F.C.
History
The club, from Annan, Dumfriesshire, was founded in 1896 as a junior side, with matches reported from 1897.United soon became one of the strongest junior sides in the area, winning its first 8 matches of the 1899–1900 season, The club successfully applied to join the Scottish Football Association in June 1901, which meant it could play in the three senior competitions open to it – the Scottish Qualifying Cup, Southern Counties Cup, and Dumfries & Galloway Cup – for the first time in 1901–02.
United played in each competition for three seasons, but only won four ties – two in the 1902–03 Dumfries & Galloway Cup, and one each in the other competitions. Its biggest win was 5–1 against Barholm Rovers in the first round of the 1901–02 Qualifying Cup.
The club's last appearance in senior football was in the Qualifying Cup draw for 1904–05; United "failed to get up a team" for its tie with Thornhill and, not having played all season, the club was struck from the Scottish FA roll in August 1905.
Colours
The club played in black and white.Ground
United's ground was Caledonian Park, the former home of Annan F.C..Benburb F.C. (Loanhead)
History
The club was founded in Loanhead, Midlothian, in 1896. Its first recorded match was a 3–1 defeat at home to Bonnyrigg Rose. The club's name and colours show that it was founded in the interests of Irish diaspora workers, but the club did not have an exclusionary policy of selection – many of its players had "Scots" names such as Torrance, Cunningham, Gordon, and Porteous.Benburb joined the Scottish Football Association in August 1896. It entered four senior competitions that season, namely the Scottish Qualifying Cup, East of Scotland Shield, King Cup, and Midlothian League. The Bens lost in the first round in each knockout tournament; lost 7–0 to Cowdenbeath in the Qualifying, and 4–1 and 6–0 to Penicuik Athletic in the Shield and King Cup respectively.
Benburb was at least a little unfortunate that the Qualifying Cup tie clashed with a home game for the established Loanhead side Polton Vale, so the Benburb committee accepted an offer of half of the gate, plus 15 rail fares, to switch the match to Cowdenbeath. One early note of concern was that, even without the Vale playing in opposition, Benburb could only attract a meagre crowd for its Shield tie; Benburb's Edward Green received his marching orders in the tie, along with Athletic's Alexander White, for fighting.
Benburb however did win twice in the Shield's Consolation Cup, thereby reaching the semi-final, although again its tie with Trinity had a disappointing attendance; but lost again to Penicuik at that stage.
These two victories were the club's only wins in competitive football. It lost all of its four games in the Midlothian League, only scoring one goal.
Although Benburb renewed its memberships for 1897–98, it scratched from the Qualifying Cup and East of Scotland Shield, and did not enter the King Cup. After a season without playing it was struck from the relevant membership rolls.
Colours
The club wore green shirts and blue knickers.Ground
The club's ground was the former Polton Vale ground at Ramsay Square; under Benburb's tenancy, it was simply known as the Benburb Football Park.Berwick United F.C.
History
Similarly to Berwick Rangers, Berwick United was an association football team from Berwick-upon-Tweed, in England, but which played its football in Scotland. The club was founded in 1919, at a time when it was uncertain if Rangers would re-start after the First World War; A. A. Crisp, who was a player with the Thursday Rangers side, which in turn had lost players to the new Spittal Hearts side, proposed at a meeting of "those interested" that the Berwick Rangers assets be handed over to the Hearts, with a view to amalgamating the Berwick sides as a new Berwick United club. It was eventually decided that the Berwick Comrades club should take over the assets and the Rangers name, so Crisp and the Spittal Hearts resolved to turn senior as Berwick United.The club duly joined the Scottish Football Association in August 1919, and it warmed up for its first competitive tie with a 3–0 win over the K.O.S.B. The club duly won 2–1 at Coldstream in the Shield tie, two goals from Fenby turning the tie around, but its debut in the Scottish Qualifying Cup at Vale of Leithen showed the gap to close, United missing a penalty when 1–0 down, and ultimately going down 5–0. Before September was out, the club was also eliminated from the Shield, thanks to missing two penalties in a 2–1 home defeat to Gala Fairydean.
Coldstream gained a revenge in the first round of the King Cup with a 2–1 home win, United twice hitting the woodwork, and the key goal scored after goalkeeper Weatherburn dropped a shot at the feet of Melrose.
The first meeting between United and Berwick Rangers took place at Shielfield Park just before Christmas, in the Border League, and United won 5–1. However, with Rangers bottom of the League and United with a mediocre record, the tide turned towards an amalgamation of the two sides. The clubs were drawn together in the first round of the Border Cup and drew 3–3 at Union Park; United won the replay 1–0. A win over Coldstream put United in the final, against Peebles Rovers at Innerleithen, in front of 1,100 spectators, and Purves gave United the lead with a volley from the right wing. However luck went against United in the second half, an injury to Abbot in the United goal – who was having a "great" game – interrupting the club's rhythm, Purves hitting the bar with a cross-shot, and Rovers equalised in the 76th minute, winning the game thanks to a penalty six minutes later after Johnston "fell on the ball with his arm".
The club was at least prominent enough to attract Newcastle United to a friendly towards the end of the season, but it suffered a blow when centre-forward Maxwell – awarded the Military Medal during the season, for escaping a prisoner of war camp in 1914 – was signed up by Hibernian.
However the club suffered a more serious blow in July, when Berwick Rangers announced it had secured Union Park for the following season, and the United players and committee therefore threw in their lot with Rangers, United being struck off the Scottish FA roll in August 1920.