Southern Counties Cup
| Founded | 1891 |
|---|---|
| Region | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Current champions | Caledonian Braves |
| Most successful club(s) | Stranraer (20 wins) |
The Southern Counties Cup is an association football cup competition for clubs in the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Wigtownshire, and Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. The competition was founded in 1891.
Format[edit]
The competition was a knock-out tournament contested by the member clubs of the Southern Counties Football Association, which was formed at the end of the 1890–91 season,[1] with J. J. Cook of the 5th K.R.V. as initial president.[2] The competition soon became the most prestigious competition in the region, supplanting the Churchill Cup.
Initial entrants[edit]
- 5th K.R.V.
- Annan
- Dalbeattie
- Dumfries St John's
- Garliestown
- Gladstonians
- Mid-Annandale
- Moffat
- Newton Stewart Athletic
- Queen of the South Wanderers
- Rising Thistle
- St Cuthbert's Wanderers
- Thornhill
History[edit]
The first competition, in 1891–92, was won by the 5th K.R.V., who beat Mid-Annandale 9–1 in the final. The score remains the highest margin of victory in the final. The two clubs had met in the final of the Churchill Cup two months before with the Mids winning 3–0;[3] however, in the Southern Counties, one Mids player was sent off, three others walked off in sympathy, and the Volunteers scored three times from the penalty mark.[4]
From 1898 to 1899 there was also a Consolation Cup,[5] for clubs eliminated before the final of the main competition. The last edition was in 1926–27, replaced by the short-lived South of Scotland Cup.
The current (2023–24) holders are Caledonian Braves, who beat Dalbeattie Star 3–1 in the final at Galabank thanks to two late goals.[6]
Finals (incomplete)[edit]
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1891–92 | 5th K.R.V. | 9–1 | Mid-Annandale |
| 1892–93 | Queen of the South Wanderers | 2–1 | Newton Stewart |
| 1893–94 | 5th K.R.V. | 4–1 | Queen of the South Wanderers |
| 1894–95 | Maxwelltown Thistle | 1–1, 3–2 | 5th K.R.V. |
| 1895–96 | St Cuthbert's Wanderers | 4–1 | Douglas Wanderers |
| 1896–97 | 6th G.R.V. | 8–0 | St Cuthbert's Wanderers |
| 1897–98 | Dumfries | 2–1 | Dumfries Hibernians |
| 1898–99 | 6th G.R.V. | 4–1 | Douglas Wanderers |
| 1899–1900 | Dumfries | 4–2 | 6th G.R.V. |
| 1900–01 | Dumfries | 4–3 | 6th G.R.V. |
| 1901–02 | Dumfries | 3–0 | Maxwelltown Volunteers |
| 1902–03 | Dumfries | 3–1 | Douglas Wanderers |
| 1903–04 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 4–1 | Vale of Dryfe |
| 1904–05 | Maxwelltown Volunteers | 2–1 | 6th G.R.V. |
| 1905–06 | Dumfries | 2–0 | Nithsdale Wanderers |
| 1906–07 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 1–0 | Douglas Wanderers |
| 1907–08 | Maxwelltown Volunteers | 5–1 | Dalbeattie Star |
| 1908–09 | Dalbeattie Star | 2–1 | Nithsdale Wanderers |
| 1909–10 | Dumfries | 1–0 | Nithsdale Wanderers |
| 1910–11 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 3–2 | Dumfries |
| 1912–13 | Solway Star | 3–3, 2–2, 1–0 | Dumfries |
| 1913–14 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 4–3 | Whithorn |
| 1924–25 | 5th K.O.S.B. | 2–1 | St Cuthbert's Wanderers |
| 1919–20 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 2–0 | St Cuthbert's Wanderers |
| 1920–21 | Queen of the South | 1–0 | Nithsdale Wanderers |
| 1921–22 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 2–2, 2–0 | Queen of the South |
| 2022–23 | Caledonian Braves | 3–1 | Dalbeattie Star |
Wins by club[edit]
| Team | Wins | First win | Last win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th K.O.S.B. | 1 | 1914–15 | - |
| 5th K.R.V. | 3 | 1891–92 | 1896–97 |
| Annan Athletic | 5 | 1989–90 | 2010–11 |
| Bonnyton Thistle | 1 | 2018–19 | - |
| Caledonian Braves | 1 | 2022–23 | - |
| Creetown | 1 | 1984–85 | - |
| Dalbeattie Star | 13 | 1908–09 | 2021–22 |
| Dumfries | 8 | 1897–98 | 1909–10 |
| Gretna | 1 | 2004–05 | - |
| Greystone Rovers | 1 | 1957–58 | - |
| Lincluden Swifts | 2 | 1977–78 | 1978–79 |
| Maxwelltown Thistle | 1 | 1894–95 | - |
| Maxwelltown Volunteers | 2 | 1904–05 | 1907–08 |
| Newton Stewart | 6 | 1948–49 | 1983–84 |
| Nithsdale Wanderers | 10 | 1903–04 | 1945–46 |
| Queen of the South Wanderers | 1 | 1892–93 | - |
| Queen of the South | 19 | 1920–21 | 2015–16 |
| St Cuthbert's Wanderers | 6 | 1895–96 | 2009–10 |
| Solway Star | 2 | 1912–13 | 1937–38 |
| Stranraer | 20 | 1925–26 | 1994–95 |
| Tarff Rovers | 6 | 1949–50 | 2001–02 |
| threave Rovers | 6 | 1964–65 | 2007–08 |
| Whithorn | 1 | 1954–55 | - |
| Wigtown & Bladnoch | 1 | 2013–14 | - |
The most successful club in the Consolation Cup was the second Mid-Annandale club, with four wins between 1909–10 and 1922–23. The only other club which won the Consolation Cup without ever winning the Southern Counties Cup was Vale of Dryfe, which won the Consolation Cup in 1901–02 and 1902–03.
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Southern Counties Association". Glasgow Evening Post: 5. 21 July 1891.
- ^ "The referee's note-book". Scottish Referee: 1. 27 July 1891.
- ^ "Churchill Cup Final". Dumfries & Galloway Standard: 3. 10 February 1892.
- ^ "Southern Counties Challenge Cup Final". Dumfries & Galloway Standard: 3. 6 April 1892.
- ^ "Here and there". Scottish Referee: 2. 5 December 1898.
- ^ Gillespie, Stuart. "Dalbeattie Star end season with South of Scotland Challenge Cup final loss to Caledonian Braves". Daily Record. Retrieved 8 October 2023.