The 1876–77 season was the fourth season of competitive domestic football in Scotland.
Overview The Scottish Cup was contested for the fourth time with Vale of Leven winning the cup for the first time. On the international front, Scotland played two away matches including their first in Wales.
In addition, Queen's Park competed in the FA Cup and the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup was played for the first time.
Scottish Cup
The increasing popularity of the competition saw 81 clubs entering the tournament's fourth edition. Vale of Leven progress to the latter stages was comfortable, eliminating Helensburgh, Vale of Leven Rovers, 3rd Lanark RV and Busby without conceding a goal. They also became the first team to beat Queen's Park in a competitive fixture in the quarter-final before beating Ayr Thistle in the semi-final. Rangers received two byes through the course of the competition, including in the semi-finals. They conceded just one goal on their road to the final, defeating Queen's Park Juniors, Towerhill, Mauchline and Lennox.
There were two notable firsts for the final – the absence of Queen's Park, and the need for a second replay. As with the previous season, the first match was staged at Hamilton Crescent and finished in a 1–1 draw. Three weeks later, the same result was recorded at the same venue before Robert Paton scored an 88th-minute winner as Vale of Leven recorded a 3–2 win at Hampden Park.
County honours
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upEdinburgh FA CupThistlew/o3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers
Other honours
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upGlasgow Charity CupQueen's Park4–0Rangers
Teams in F.A. Cup
Queen's Park received byes to the third round but then withdrew before playing Oxford University.
SeasonClubRound Score Result1876–77 Queen's Park 1st round Received a bye 2nd round Received a bye 3rd round Oxford University Withdrew
Scotland national team
DateVenueOpponentsCompetitionScotland scorer(s)3 MarchKennington Oval, London3–1FriendlyJohn Ferguson (2), James Richmond5 MarchRacecourse Ground, Wrexham2–0FriendlyCharles Campbell, (o.g.)Referee William Dick was the Secretary of the Scottish Football Association. The second Scottish goal is credited to Powell (own goal) in some sources, but there was no Powell in the Welsh team.
Notes and references