1886 Scottish Cup final

The 1886 Scottish Cup final was the 13th final of the Scottish Cup and the final of the 1885–86 Scottish Cup, the most prestigious knockout football competition in Scotland. The match was played at Cathkin Park in Crosshill (today part of Glasgow) on 13 February 1886, and was watched by a crowd of "between 7,000 and 8,000",[1] "between 8,000 and 9,000",[2] or "not less than 9,000",[3] or 10,000[4] spectators. The final was contested by defending champions Renton and seven-time winners Queen's Park.[5]

1886 Scottish Cup final
Event1885–86 Scottish Cup
Date13 February 1886
VenueCathkin Park, Crosshill
RefereeJ. E. McKillop (Cartvale)
Attendance7,000
1885
1887

This was the first Scottish Cup final since 1880 to be decided without the need for a replay (excluding the 1884 final which went unplayed).

Background

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Queen's Park had reached the final on seven previous occasions and had gone on to win the competition on each occasion. This was the fifth time in seven seasons which Queen's Park had reached the final.

Defending champions Renton had only previously reached the final twice before, lifting the trophy in 1885, 10 years after they finished as runners-up.

Renton and Queen's Park had played twice before in the Scottish Cup, although they hadn't been drawn together for over a decade. Renton hadn't scored a goal against Queen's Park before the 1886 final with the Glasgow side winning 3–0 in the 1875 final and 2–0 in the 1874 semi-finals.

Route to the final

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Queen's Park

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Round Opposition Score
First round St Peter's 16–0
Second round Pilgrims 1–0
Third round East Stirlingshire 3–0
Fourth round Airdrieonians 1–0
Fifth round Arthurlie 2–1
Quarter-final bye
Semi-final 3rd Lanark RV 3–0

Renton

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Round Opposition Score
First round Kirkintilloch Athletic 15–0
Second round Dumbarton Athletic 7–2
Third round Albion 1–0
Fourth round Cowlairs 4–0
Fifth round Vale of Leven 2–2
Fifth round replay Vale of Leven 3–0
Quarter-final bye
Semi-final Hibernian 2–0

Report

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The first quarter of the game was played in heavy rain.[1] Queen's Park, who had the benefit of a wind behind them in the first half,[2] took the lead early on when Somerville turned home a Hamilton shot that had been blocked by Hannah.[note 1] Renton came close to an equalizer shortly before half-time when Gillespie caught a shot from McCall and was nearly driven over the line in the resulting maul.

A quarter of an hour into the second half, following Renton pressure, Kelso drove a free-kick through a crowd of players to make the score 1-1; as direct free-kicks did not exist, Queen's Park protested the goal, but the referee deemed that there had been a touch on the way through.[6] A short while afterwards, Christie injured his foot, and was a passenger for the rest of the match, having to leave the pitch for a while;[1] Renton pressed home with a man advantage, but could not score, and, following a break after 70 minutes, Harrower scored from a Hamilton cross. Near the end Queen's Park made it three from a 'scrimmage',[3] which was credited to Somerville,[note 2] after a move involving Hamilton and Harrower.[1]

Match details

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Queen's Park3–1Renton
Report Kelso   60'
Attendance: 7,000-10,000
Referee: J. E. McKillop (Cartvale)
QUEEN'S PARK:
GK George Gillespie
FB Walter Arnott
FB Andrew Watson
HB Charles Campbell
HB John J. Gow
LW Robert Christie
LW David Allan
FW George Somerville
FW William Harrower
RW Alexander Hamilton
RW John Lambie
RENTON:
GK John Lindsay
FB Andrew Hannah
FB Archie McCall
HB Bob Kelso
HB Donald McKechnie
RW Alexander Barbour
RW James Kelly
FW Alec Grant
FW J. McIntyre
LW James McCall
LW J. Thomson

Aftermath

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Renton gained a measure of revenge at the end of the season, beating Queen's Park 5–2 in the semi-final of the Glasgow Charity Cup, a prestige tournament for four invited clubs; Renton beat local rivals Vale of Leven in the final.[7]

Notes

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  1. ^ This is the report from two newspapers; the Lennox Herald credits the goal to Lambie, the Glasgow Herald to Hamilton.
  2. ^ The Lennox Herald credits the goal to Christie, the Glasgow Herald to Somerville

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The Scottish Challenge Cup". Glasgow Herald: 10. 15 February 1886.
  2. ^ a b "Queen's Park v Renton". Lothian Courier: 4. 20 February 1886.
  3. ^ a b "Queen's Park v Renton". Courier and Argus: 3. 16 February 1886.
  4. ^ "By The Way". Paisley Daily Express: 2. 15 February 1886.
  5. ^ "Scottish Cup Matches". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Scottish Association Cup (Final Tie)". Lennox Herald: 3. 20 February 1886.
  7. ^ "Glasgow Charity Cup - Final Tie". Lennox Herald: 6. 22 May 1886.
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