The Highland Amateur Cup is an annual football cup competition run by the Highland Executive branch of the Scottish Amateur Football Association. It also covers various offshore islands.

Highland Amateur Cup
Founded1978; 46 years ago (1978)
RegionScottish Highlands
Current championsPentland United
(9th title)
Most successful club(s)Pentland United
(9 titles)
Website[1]

All teams affiliated to Highland Associations are eligible to enter; and so this competition covers one of the largest geographical areas for any district amateur cup competition in the UK.

Currently, the Associations affiliated to the Highland Amateur Cup are:

Shetland FA clubs are eligible to take part but due to travel distances, have rarely entered the competition.

History

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Pentland United are the most successful club, having won the competition eight times.

Western Isles teams

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The 1984 tournament was the first time a team from the Western Isles was allowed to enter, and Ness' cup-run culminated in a 4–1 victory over Bishopmill Villa at Victoria Park, Dingwall. Ness have won the competition on three other occasions; 1991, 1992 and 1995.

Back, who also compete in the Lewis and Harris Football League, won the cup in 2004.

Lochs (2003 and 2005) and Point (1994) are the other Lewis and Harris Football League teams to have won the cup, while Stornoway Athletic have been runners-up on two occasions (1990 and 2003). Carloway also finished runners-up in 2014.

Finals from 2007–2012

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Year Teams Venue Notes
2007 Avoch and Point Grant Street Park, Inverness On 18 August. Avoch were competing in their 4th successive final, having beaten Lochs in the semi-final.[1] The match finished 5–0 to the team from the Black Isle.
2008 Castletown and Pentland United Harmsworth Park, Wick Pentland took the lead in the first half before adding another two to win the game 3–0.[2]
2009 Avoch and Kirkwall Thorfinn Harmsworth Park, Wick The game came down to a penalty shoot-out after Thorfinn 'threw away' a 2–0 lead - only for Avoch to draw level. The match went to penalties, and Kirkwall won, with their first Amateur Cup win since 1988.[3]
2010 Golspie Stafford and Pentland United Dudgeon Park, Brora In front of a 500 strong crowd on 14 August, a Garry MacLeod free kick was all that came between the two sides in what was a fiercely contested game that ended 1–0 to Pentland United.[4]
2011 Back F.C. (Lewis) and Avoch Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness On 20 August 2011, Avoch won 5–1, for their first success in the cup since 2007. A brace by Paul Brindle, followed by goals from Charlie Christie, Shaun Kerr and Gary Urqhuart, secured the win, with Martin Maclean scoring for Back.[5]
2012 Avoch and Wick Groats Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness On 4 August, Avoch won 4–0, with Shaun Kerr scoring a hat-trick and Ronnie Jones grabbing the other. This was Avoch's fourth cup triumph in seven years.[6]

Past winners

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Season Winner Score Runner-up
1978 Blackmuir 2–0 Thurso Pentland
1979 South Ronaldsay beat Halkirk
1980 Thurso Pentland 5–2 Dingwall Thistle Youth
1981 Thurso Pentland 1–0 Wick Groats
1982 Halkirk 2–1 Thurso Pentland
1983 Thurso Pentland beat Muir of Ord
1984 Ness 4–1 Bishopmill Villa
1985 Halkirk 7–2 Conon
1986 Maryburgh 1–0 Conon
1987 Pentland United 1–0 Wick Groats
1988 Kirkwall Thorfinn 2–1 Maryburgh
1989 Dingwall Thistle 2–1 Halkirk
1990 Maryburgh 3–1 Stornoway Athletic
1991 Ness 1–0 Dingwall Thistle
1992 Ness 1–0 Kirkwall Thorfinn
1993 Pentland United 6–2 Southend
1994 Point 1–0 Cromarty
1995 Ness 4–2 Avoch
1996 Dingwall Thistle 2–0 Kirkwall Thorfinn
1997 Kirkwall Rovers 4–2 Contin
1998 Pentland United 3–1 Inverness British Legion
1999 Contin 1–0 Pentland United
2000 Pentland United 4–0 Cromarty
2001 Wick Thistle 2–1 Avoch
2002 Pentland United 2–1 Portree
2003 Lochs 3–2 Stornoway Athletic
2004 Back 2–1 Avoch
2005 Lochs 3–1 Avoch
2006 Avoch 2–0 Fortrose & Rosemarkie Union
2007 Avoch 5–0 Point
2008 Pentland United 3–0 Castletown
2009 Kirkwall Thorfinn *2–2 Avoch
2010 Pentland United 1–0 Golspie Stafford
2011 Avoch 5–1 Back
2012 Avoch 4–0 Wick Groats
2013 Wick Groats 1–0 Kirkwall Thorfinn
2014 Avoch 2–1 Carloway
2015 Wick Groats 3–1 Avoch
2016 Wick Groats *0–0 Kirkwall Thorfinn
2017 Avoch 2–1 Staxigoe United
2018 Pentland United 2–1 (a.e.t.) Lerwick Spurs
2019 Wick Groats 1–0 Avoch
2020 No Competition
2021 No Competition
2022 High Ormlie Hotspur *1–1 (a.e.t.) Pentland United
2023 Avoch 1–0 Wick Groats
2024 Pentland United 2–1 Avoch

* Won on penalties

Performance by club

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As of after 2024
Club Wins Last win Runners-up Last final lost
Pentland United 9 2024 2 2022
Avoch 7 2023 8 2024
Wick Groats 4 2019 4 2023
Ness 4 1995 0
Thurso Pentland 3 1983 2 1982
Kirkwall Thorfinn 2 2009 4 2016
Halkirk 2 1985 2 1989
Dingwall Thistle 2 1996 1 1991
Maryburgh 2 1990 1 1988
Lochs 2 2005 0
Back 1 2004 1 2011
Contin 1 1999 1 1997
Point 1 1994 1 2007
High Ormlie Hotspur 1 2022 0
Wick Thistle 1 2001 0
Kirkwall Rovers 1 1997 0
South Ronaldsay 1 1979 0
Blackmuir 1 1978 0
Stornoway Athletic 0 2 2003
Cromarty 0 2 2000
Conon 0 2 1986
Lerwick Spurs 0 1 2018
Staxigoe United 0 1 2017
Carloway 0 1 2014
Golspie Stafford 0 1 2010
Castletown 0 1 2008
Fortrose & Rosemarkie Union 0 1 2006
Portree 0 1 2002
Inverness British Legion 0 1 1998
Southend 0 1 1993
Bishopmill Villa 0 1 1984
Muir of Ord 0 1 1983
Dingwall Thistle Youth 0 1 1980

References

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  1. ^ "Sport | Football | Avoch march on to final of Amateur Cup". Ross-shire Journal. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Pentland United F.C - 2008". Pentland United F.C. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Thorfinn Football Club - 2009 Highland Amateur Cup". Orkneycommunities.co.uk. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Home | Stafford's Highland Cup hopes thwarted by the woodwork". Northern Times. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Back lose Highland Amateur". Hebrides-news.com. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  6. ^ "Sport | Football | There's no stopping Avoch!". Ross-shire Journal. Retrieved 3 October 2012.