Edinburgh & District League
Page created: 22 October 2020
Updated: 4 February 2025
At the East of Scotland League AGM in 1930,
the bigger Border clubs forced through a change to the guarantee system at the
second time of asking. The clubs (led by Duns, Berwick Rangers, Peebles Rovers
and Coldstream) complained that they each had eight journeys a season to the
Lothians for League matches alone, and that apart from Bathgate they received
the bare guarantee of two pounds ten shillings; while city clubs travelling to
the Borders received not only the guarantee but half of the receipts in excess
of GBP5, perhaps as much as GBP10 or GBP15. For their part, the Edinburgh sides
denied this and claimed that only Peebles Rovers and Berwick Rangers regularly
paid more than the GBP2-10-0 minimum.
The new arrangement saw
the introduction of a flat GBP3 guarantee, with the home club to keep the balance
of gate receipts. Edinburgh clubs were appalled. GBP3 represented 120 adult
admissions, and few city clubs attracted that many spectators. In effect, they
would be digging into their own pockets at home matches and not offsetting
their losses with half-gates from their travels. Murrayfield Amateurs moved
that the League be split into Border and City sections, but were ruled out of
order as no previous notice had been given. Six of the capital clubs -
Murrayfield, Edinburgh City, Edinburgh University, Leith Amateurs, Civil
Service Strollers and Cameron Highlanders - then resigned from the League to
form the Edinburgh and District League. The new competition also expanded into
Fife, with Lochgelly Amateurs joining.
Murrayfield Amateurs won
the first championship on goal average. In this season Cameron Highlanders were
transferred out of Redford Barracks on military duties and their replacements,
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, took over their League fixtures in
November. Initially, the E&DL was not significantly stronger than the EoSL, but as time went on the rebels started to be more
successful in ESFA and national competitions. In 1931 the League lost Edinburgh
City, elected to the Scottish League in lieu of anyone better, but City entered
a fairly unsuccessful 'A' team in the E&DL for 1931-32. Argyll &
Sutherland Highlanders admitted they were out of their depth and also departed.
Newcomers were two further Fife sides - Burntisland Shipyard and Raith Rovers 'A' - and Bathgate, 1930-31 champions of the EoSL. Bathgate had been supporters of the new guarantee
system, but once six short journeys to Edinburgh were removed, regular travel
to the Borders became an intolerable burden.
Makeweights in the
Scottish League, Bathgate had found their level in East of Scotland
competitions, and won the 1931-32 E&DL by a comfortable eight points.
Ground problems forced them to resign in 1932, though, with the town council
issuing a compulsory purchase order to take over Mill Park for new housing. In
1931-32 a League Cup was instituted, but was abandoned after a few matches
because of lack of available dates. It did not reappear in subsequent seasons.
For 1932-33 Raith reserves and Bathgate dropped out, being replaced by
West Calder amateur side Mossend (who renamed themselves
after the once-famous Mossend Swifts) and short-lived
rivals to Shipyard in Burntisland Athletic. Murrayfield once again took the
championship.
The following season,
1933-34, was the high point of the E&DL. Burntisland Athletic dropped out,
but there were further defections from the EoSL in
Penicuik Athletic and Clerwood Amateurs, two further
Fife clubs (Rosyth Dockyard Recreation and RAF Donibristle),
and new club Broxburn St John's. Vale of Leithen had
also considered transferring, but dropped the idea when derby rivals Peebles
Rovers wouldn't entertain the idea. Travel cost was a major factor, but EoSL matches were plagued by late starts and blank
Saturdays, and political struggles between the Berwickshire and Border clubs.
In Penicuik's case, though, a post-season committee decision to strip them of
the 1932-33 EoSL title and award it to Peebles Rovers
was the prime motivation for the transfer.
Penicuik romped to the
1933-34 title, eleven points clear of Rosyth Dockyard. These clubs also
achieved the unique feat of sides from the same League winning the South and
North Qualifying Cups. The success of the E&DL was now a serious threat to
the EoSL, Peebles Rovers announcing their decision to
defect for 1933-34, a move which would probably have been followed by Vale of Leithen. However, a series of misfortunes in the summer of
1934 effectively killed off the E&DL as a credible challenger to the older
competition.
Civil Service Strollers
were forced out of Stenhouse Mills by a new greyhound stadium, and Edinburgh
City's 'A' team were finding it too difficult to find a home park (at the time
they were still sharing with Leith Athletic). In late May prominent flour-mill
owner Thomas W Tod, effectively the bankroller of Clerwood
Amateurs, died, and his widow decided she didn't want a football pitch on her
front lawn. Apart from ground problems, costs forced Burntisland Shipyard, Mossend Swifts and Lochgelly to
resign. Peebles Rovers and Penicuik Athletic surveyed the wreckage and swiftly
decided to return to the East of Scotland League for 1934-35, with Rovers not
having played a single match in the competition.
The EoSL
didn't offer clubs any change to the contentious guarantee system; those who rejoined would do so under the League's terms. Murrayfield
Amateurs played one E&DL match (not counting in the record books) and
returned to the EoSL. Rosyth Dockyard Recreation were
twice refused on grounds of travelling costs, despite a Scottish FA request for
consideration.
The four remaining clubs
were joined by Bo'ness for the League's final season (the first in which there
was an actual championship trophy). With a shrunken fixture list, teams entered
local amateur competitions in order to fill their Saturdays. Fixtures were few
and far between once sides were eliminated from cup competitions, the situation
being exacerbated by University vacations and RAF leave. It became apparent
that Bo'ness were only League members in order to keep a side together for the
Scottish Cup, they effectively refused to play away matches, and resigned in
January after a 9-0 thrashing at Morton. In March, Edinburgh University had to
cancel a League match with Rosyth Dockyard because of a King Cup tie, after
which they were on Easter vacation. With no other competitive fixtures in sight,
Dockyard wound up for the season; but the points they had in the bag were
enough to give them the title as the competition stumbled to its final
conclusion.
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Winners |
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Edinburgh & District League 1930-31 Murrayfield
Amateurs 1931-32 Bathgate 1932-33 Murrayfield
Amateurs 1933-34 Penicuik
Athletic 1934-35
Rosyth Dockyard |
Edinburgh &
District League Cup 1931-32
unfinished |
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1930-31 Edinburgh & District League
Cameron
Highlanders played four matches of the 1930-31 season before the regiment moved
out of Redford Barracks. Their fixtures were taken over by Argyll &
Sutherland Highlanders |
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P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Murrayfield
Amateurs |
10 |
8 |
0 |
2 |
39 |
14 |
18 |
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Edinburgh
City |
12 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
30 |
16 |
16 |
|
Edinburgh
University |
12 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
36 |
22 |
16 |
|
Civil
Service Strollers |
12 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
24 |
29 |
12 |
|
Leith
Amateurs |
12 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
25 |
38 |
9 |
|
Lochgelly Amateurs |
11 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
22 |
34 |
8 |
|
Argyll
& Sutherland Highlanders |
11 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
20 |
44 |
3 |
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1931-32 Edinburgh & District League
17
Sep Raith Rovers announce an 'A' team would be
entered into the league 26
Apr the Murrayfield v Edinburgh University match was for 4 points
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1932-33 Edinburgh &
District League
|
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Murrayfield
Amateurs |
14 |
11 |
2 |
1 |
47 |
17 |
24 |
|
Leith
Amateurs |
14 |
10 |
0 |
4 |
49 |
27 |
20 |
|
Edinburgh
University |
14 |
7 |
1 |
6 |
35 |
25 |
15 |
|
Lochgelly |
14 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
37 |
37 |
15 |
|
Mossend Swifts |
16 |
7 |
1 |
8 |
42 |
44 |
15 |
|
Civil
Service Strollers |
14 |
6 |
1 |
7 |
32 |
38 |
13 |
|
Burntisland
Shipyard Amateurs |
16 |
5 |
1 |
10 |
32 |
55 |
11 |
|
Burntisland
Athletic |
12 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
27 |
31 |
8 |
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Edinburgh
City 'A' |
13 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
22 |
49 |
5 |
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1933-34 Edinburgh &
District League
|
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Penicuik
Athletic |
24 |
22 |
0 |
2 |
121 |
37 |
44 |
|
Rosyth
Dockyard Recreation |
22 |
15 |
3 |
4 |
81 |
43 |
33 |
|
Leith
Amateurs |
20 |
12 |
3 |
5 |
51 |
35 |
27 |
|
Clerwood Amateurs |
19 |
11 |
4 |
4 |
65 |
39 |
26 |
|
Murrayfield
Amateurs |
20 |
9 |
4 |
7 |
53 |
43 |
22 |
|
Burntisland
Shipyard Amateurs |
18 |
7 |
2 |
9 |
39 |
53 |
16 |
|
Edinburgh
University |
10 |
6 |
1 |
3 |
29 |
14 |
13 |
|
Mossend Swifts |
17 |
6 |
0 |
11 |
38 |
54 |
12 |
|
Civil
Service Strollers |
19 |
4 |
2 |
13 |
33 |
56 |
10 |
|
Broxburn
St John's |
17 |
4 |
1 |
12 |
37 |
71 |
9 |
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Edinburgh
City 'A' |
17 |
2 |
4 |
11 |
31 |
65 |
8 |
|
RAF
Donibristle |
13 |
2 |
0 |
11 |
13 |
52 |
4 |
|
Lochgelly |
10 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
15 |
44 |
2 |
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1934-35 Edinburgh &
District League
RAF Donibristle
v Edinburgh University - no result found and it's uncertain if the game was
ever played. Peebles Rovers joined
for 1934-35, but didn't play a match Murrayfield Amateurs
played a single match on 18 August (Rosyth v Murrayfield 2-2) - they then
returned to the East of Scotland League, and the result was never included in
the table. |
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Rosyth
Dockyard Recreation |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
18 |
8 |
8 |
|
Leith Amateurs |
7 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
15 |
18 |
7 |
|
Edinburgh
University |
5 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
21 |
11 |
6 |
|
Bo'ness |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
17 |
6 |
5 |
|
RAF
Donibristle |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
6 |
34 |
2 |
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