Scottish Football League Teams That are No Longer in Existence

Abercorn (1890-1915)

Original members of the Scottish League, they were based in Paisley. As soon as the Second Division came into existence in 1893, Abercorn found themselves demoted. One further season was to follow in the top division (1896-97) but they soon found themselves back down. These were the days before automatic promotion and although Abercorn won the Second Division in 1909 and finished second in 1912 on neither occasion were they re-elected to the First Division. They dropped out of League football in 1915 after the Second Division went into abeyance. The club themselves had ceased to exist by 1921.

Airdrie (1878-2002)

Due to spiralling debts, Airdrie ceased to be in 2002. The club had in their time been Scottish Cup winners and had competed in Europe as recently as 1992-93. When they had ceased to be, one local businessman fan, Jim Ballantyne, decided to form a new club and tried to get entry into the league as direct replacements for Airdrie. The new club was going to be called Airdrie Utd but the SFL said that because they had already elected Gretna into the Scottish League in the place of Airdrie, there was no room for another club. Ballantyne then turned his attentions to the struggling club Clydebank (see below) and when they ceased to be, Airdrie Utd took their place in the League.

Armadale (1921-32)

By the end of the First World War football was ‘booming’ in the West Lothian district of Armadale. The football club came into the Second Division in season 1921-22 where they did well enough to finish third. The obligations of League Football soon became out of reach and their playing record soon started to deteriorate. The club often finished in the bottom three. It was their inability to pay a guarantee to visiting clubs that saw their expulsion from the League after 17 games of the 1932-33 season. Their ground, Volunteer Park, is still used for Junior football.

Arthurlie (1901-15, 1923-29)

Coming from Barrhead, Arthurlie played their home games at Dunterlie Park. They played out 14 modest years in the Second Division before that Division closed down due to the First World War. At the end of hostilities, Arthurlie did not immediately resume operations; instead waiting until 1923 to apply for the newly created Third Division. Over the next few years financial pressures became too great and with only 6 matches left of the 1928-29 season they resigned from membership. A Junior club of the same name has played at the same ground ever since the 1930’s.

Ayr F.C. (1897-1910)

Were a moderately decent Second Division member for their whole existence; never pushing for promotion but never struggling near the foot of the table. In 1910 they amalgamated with another team from the same town (Ayr Parkhouse) to form Ayr United, without formally resigning. This is the only time a merger between two League clubs from the same town in Scotland has ever succeeded.

Ayr Parkhouse (1903-04, 1906-10)

The later of the two Ayr clubs, Parkhouse came into the Second Division in 1903. They finished comfortably bottom and were not re-elected. They came back two seasons later and became a middle of the table club. The amalgamation with Ayr F.C. was to soon bring about First Division football. The new club, Ayr Utd, played at Somerset Park, the home of Ayr F.C.

Bathgate (1921-28)

Another club from West Lothian, they came into the Second Division from the Central League. They looked like having a promising future in League football when in 1924 they missed promotion to the First Division by only one place. The Coal strike of 1926 severely dented their hopes though and by season 1928-29 they were forced to resign; their league record for that season was expunged.

Beith (1923-26)

This small club from Ayrshire had a League existence which coincided exactly with the Third Division. When that League collapsed in 1926 they moved to the Scottish Alliance with Galston. It was a League made up of the reserve teams of the First Division. It wasn’t until 1938 that the powers that be decided they couldn’t play in that division and expelled them. It accelerated their move into Junior football where Beith Juniors still play on their old ground Bellsdale Park.

Bo’Ness (1921-32)

Another team from West Lothian, Bo’Ness at least had the distinction of playing First Division football, if only briefly. Five years after coming in from the Central League they won the Second Division and in the season after were unlucky not to retain their First Division status. The slide afterwards was always downwards. They ceased to be members of the Scottish League in November 1932 (questions of payments to visiting teams was one of the things they had faltered on) although they remained a senior club until 1939. After the Second World War, Bo’Ness turned their attention to Junior football, still playing at their old ground Newton Park.

Broxburn United (1921-26)

Coming from such a small town it is strange to think that this club was an amalgamation of two clubs. When Broxburn F.C. and Broxburn Athletic came together as Broxburn United they became members of the Second Division. They were voted out after finishing bottom in 1925-26 and although playing in a minor league for one further year, they soon failed to exist.

Cambuslang (1890-92)

Original members of the Scottish League, they did well to finish fourth in the first season. After that their form struggled and the small village club soon found themselves struggling. Finishing bottom in their last season they made no attempt to get themselves re-elected, even when the Second Division was formed.

Clackmannan (1921-22,1923-26)

From the Midlands town of the same name, they were elected to the Second Division but finished bottom and withdrew from the League. They came back with the Third Division a year later, but when that collapsed it signalled the end of Clakmannan’s senior career.

Clydebank (1914-15, 1917-31)

This was the first team from Clydebank to play in the Scottish Football League. They came in to the Second Division the season before the outbreak of the First World War. That Division ceased to exist and Clydebank found themselves catapulted into the Western League. Good fortune (for them) occurred in 1917 when Aberdeen, Dundee and Raith Rovers had to withdraw from League Football. Clydebank were asked to take one of their places and found themselves back in the First Division, spending the next five years without relegation. On two separate occasions after that they were relegated but won promotion straight-away on both occasions. The industrial downturn of the later 1920’s hit the club badly. Threatening to resign in 1929 they eventually did so in 1931.

Clydebank (1965-2002)

No direct relation to the originally named club who had played League Football, this club had the season before been a Junior Club. East Stirlingshire had tried to merge with that Junior Club in 1964 with the strange name of E.S. Clydebank but the new club were never elected. At the start of the next season Clydebank decided to go it alone but weren’t elected until 1966. A reasonably successful club (managing to get to the Premier League for three seasons) their demise began in the mid 90’s. The promise of a new ground never materialised and Clydebank had to play their home games at other teams grounds. This is where things get a bit strange. To all intents and purposes Clydebank became Airdrie Utd, when the owner of the old club, having failed to get the new Airdrie team elected to the League, bought over Clydebank and thus took their place in the league, creating the new club Airdrie Utd.

Cowlairs (1890-91, 1893-95)

Original members of the Scottish League, this club from the Springburn area of Glasgow finished bottom in the first season. They were suspended for breaches of the laws in the second season. Cowlairs came back the following season but their heart was just not in it anymore. By 1895 they had severed their connection with the Scottish League and folded completely soon afterwards.

Dumbarton Harp (1923-24)

One season wonders; coming into the Third Division they soon found the pace too hot for them and although they attempted one more season they soon resigned. A club of the same name appeared in the Juniors a number of years after.

Dundee Wanderers (1894-95)

This all-amateur side only had one season in the Second Division and gathered a total of 9 points (two of which were awarded because the other team failed to show-up). Their ground, Clepington Park was renamed in future years as Tannadice Park and became the home of Dundee Utd.

Dykehead (1923-26)

This club, from the Shotts area of Lanarkshire, was a product of the Third Division over expansion. The industrial climate of the 1920’s made it nearly impossible for small clubs to survive for long periods, so it was with no surprise that when the Third Division collapsed, Dykehead had no realistic platform to play. They struggled on as a senior team for another couple of years before folding completely.

Edinburgh City (1931-39, 1946-49)

An amateur club from Edinburgh, they could at best be described as one of the worst teams to ever grace Scottish Football. In eleven seasons they failed to win more than one game in six. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, Edinburgh City finished bottom of the Second Division in 6 of the 8 seasons. After the war they were not invited to re-join the Second Division and found themselves in the C Division, where they struggled on for another three season before joining the Junior ranks.

Galston (1923-25)

A very similar history to Beith, although Galston only managed the first 2 of the 3 Third Division seasons. For a while they played as an amateur team in the Scottish Alliance but by the outbreak of the Second World War they had ceased to exist.

Gretna (2002-08)

They played in Scotland but played in England before playing in Scotland. Well they were based in Scotland but for many years played in the lower leagues in England. They had applied to join the Scottish League in 1993 and 1999 and were finally allowed to join in 2002. They started in the Third Division and took the place vacated by Airdrie. A new chairman came in, Brooke Mileson, and soon the club were rising through the divisions. They won the Third, Second and First Divisions in successive years to find themselves catapulted into the SPL. The Chairman had spent a lot of his money buying top division players to play for Gretna whilst in the lower divisions. Because their ground was too small they had to play their home games out of Motherwell’s Fir Park. Due to rising debt and Mileson’s failing health, Gretna soon found themselves in trouble. Mileson withdraw his support, the club went into administration. Gretna resigned from the Scottish Football League officially June 3rd 2008; they had no ground, no players, no staff, the club was liquidated.

Helensburgh (1923-26)

Another club that existed solely in the Third Division. Helensburgh did well in the last season to finish a creditable third and they had a ground, Ardencaple Park, which had a lot of potential for growth; it was quite a surprise then that no serious attempt was made to gain Second Division status which had certainly been given to clubs with less potential.

Johnstone (1912-15, 1921-26)

They came into the Second Division in 1912 and were doing quite well when the Scottish Football League reverted back to only one division. Johnstone continued to exist throughout the First World War and were rewarded with re-election into the Second Division afterwards. Some initial impetus had gone from the club though and they soon found themselves relegated to the Third Division and they sank when that Division folded.

King’s Park (1921-39)

The career of this Stirling based club neatly spanned the inter-war period. They were a middle-of-the-table Second Division side and only once did they come within a place of gaining promotion (1927-28). It was with some shame that their ground was partially destroyed by a bomb in 1941. The owners of King’s Park decided, after the War had ended, to not re-start the club but to start afresh with a new club, Stirling Albion.

Leith Athletic (1897-1915, 1924-26, 1927-39, 1946-53)

Leith Athletic’s broken League existence is somewhat of an indication of how unfortunate they were. They were denied promotion after winning the Second Division in both 1906 and 1910; they won the Third Division in the year it collapsed meaning there was no promotion from it. Leith had a First Division existence between 1930-32 but withdrew from football during the War. On resumption, they found themselves in the C Division but refused to continue there after five years and were expelled.

Linthouse (1895-1900)

Coming in with the second wave of league clubs, Linthouse came from the Govan area. They failed to compete with their larger neighbours Rangers and after five undistinguished years in the Second Division they disappeared from League football.

Lochgelly United (1914-15, 1921-26)

The outbreak of the First World War spoiled their chance of a successful league career. When the war ended, Lochgelly found themselves in the Second Division from which, three years later, they were relegated to the Third Division. The collapse of the lowest Division so the end of Lochgelly United.

Mid-Annandale (1923-26)

Coming from the town of Lockerbie, Mid-Annandale had an existence which co-incided with the existence of the Third Division. In the last season they finished a respectable fifth but with the leagues collapse they had to find somewhere else to play. They joined the Scottish Combination.

Nithsdale Wanderers (1923-27)

Playing their home games at Crawick Holm, Nithsdale Wanderers came into the Third Division but were soon promoted to the Second Division. In their penultimate season they did well to finish twelfth but they were comfortably bottom the season after and made no attempt to seek re-election. They turned Junior but even that proved beyond them by the mid 1960’s

Northern (1893-94)

Located near Springburn in Glasgow, Northern had a career that ranks as one of the shortest ever. One season; nine points; ninth place and failed to gain re-election to the Second Division. The club folded soon after.

Peebles Rovers (1923-26)

Another club whose existence co-incided exactly with the Third Division. With the collapse of that League, the collapse of the club soon followed. They continued as, at times, both an amateur and a junior concern.

Port Glasgow Athletic (1893-1911)

Joining the Second Division they eventually were promoted to the First Division in 1902, where they spent eight consecutive years before going back down. Due to financial circumstances they operated mainly as an amateur club. Despite finishing eighth in the Second Division in 1911 they bizarrely were not re-elected.

Renton (1891-1898)

A club that found League Football too much for them. They were expelled within the first few weeks of League Football for playing against a team without permission. Re-admitted the following year, they soon found the pace too much for them. They were expelled for good in 1898, with Hamilton Academical taking their place. Before League football had come into existence, Renton were self-claimed ‘champions of the world’; within 10 years they no longer existed.

Royal Albert (1923-26)

They hailed from the Lanarkshire town of Larkhall and existed throughout the Third Divisions existence. They never seriously challenged for promotion. After the collapse of that division, Royal Albert turned Junior.

St. Bernards (1893-1915, 1921-39)

They started their league career in the First Division and they spent seven years there before getting relegated after a test-match against St Mirren. They won the Second Division but were not promoted (automatic promotion was not in affect), the same thing happened in 1907. They forged out a rather comfortable existence in the Second Division right up until the outbreak of war. Their ground was sold during the war and no effort was made to continue the club in any shape or form after the war had ended.

Solway Star (1923-26)

Solway Star came from Annan in Dumfrieshire and were not a bad team. They came within one place of promotion from the Third Division in 1925 but the collapse of the division the year after left Solway Star with no realistic hope. They carried on, appearing in Scottish Cup ties but the outbreak of war in 1939 killed off any hopes of a comeback.

Third Lanark (1890-1939, 1946-67)

The death of Third Lanark was, and still is, one of the biggest shocks ever to rock Scottish Football. The club had, in their day, been a Scottish League winner and Scottish Cup winners. As recently as 1961 they had finished third in the top division and in the process scored more than 100 goals. Their demise came about because their chairman saw their ground more ripe for house developments than for sport. He tried his hardest to make Third Lanark as unattractive club as possible; failing to pay players; selling them off for less than they were worth etc. His plan to turn the ground into flats failed when planning permission was refused and he died not long after. Any plans to relocate Third Lanark elsewhere in the city of Glasgow never materialised and Scottish Football lost one of its major clubs.

Thistle (1893-1894)

One season wonders, Thistle finished comfortably last in the Second Division. They received no support in their bid for re-election the year after.

Vale of Leven (1890-92, 1905-15, 1921-26)

Vale of Leven’s best days were already behind them when League Football came into existence. In the second season they failed to win a single game and finished last and did not seek re-election. They came back to the Second Division in 1905 and lived out a un-notable existence there. Relegated from the Second Division when the Third Division came into being, they soon found themselves sinking when that league collapsed.