The Exhibition Cup was a one-off football tournament contested in Glasgow, Scotland. Held to coincide with the International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry, this early season competition was won by Cowlairs, beating Celtic in the final. The matches, played over the month of August 1888 with the final on 6 September, were staged at the University of Glasgow recreation grounds at GilmorehillInternational Exhibition, 1888: Bishop's Castle, The Glasgow Story (today occupied by various departments of the institution such as the Kelvin Building of PhysicsKelvin Building , University of Glasgow and the Graham Kerr Building of Zoology),Graham Kerr Building , University of Glasgow close to the exhibition's main site at Kelvingrove.International Exhibition, 1888: Site Plan, The Glasgow Story1888-89 Glasgow Cup Shame, Partick Thistle - The Early Years, 2017 While the tournament winners were awarded a handsome trophy, the runners up were presented with gold badges. (via) British Newspaper Archive.
Although the Scottish Football League had yet to be formed, the Exhibition Cup could be considered something of a second-tier tournament, as none of the entrants had been a winner or finalist in the Scottish Cup in its first 15 years of existence. However the tournament has some historical significance for Celtic, as it was the first final the club played, having only formed a few months earlier, and their first ever defeat.Celtic and Springburn – The first game, final, defeat and trophy, The Celtic Star, 21 March 2019 The result was seen as a surprise, as Celtic had assembled a strong team of experienced players, mostly with Irish connections, from Hibernian and Renton, although Cowlairs also boosted their squad with guest players.Famous Matches. Exhibition Final, 1888. The Scottish Referee, 16 June 1902, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club The two teams met again a few weeks later in the second round of the 1888–89 Scottish Cup, Celtic this time winning emphatically 8–0,1888-09-22: Celtic 8–0 Cowlairs, Scottish Cup, Match reports; via The Celtic Wiki and went on to the final, losing to Third Lanark. Celtic also progressed to the final of the 1889 Glasgow North Eastern Cup, where they gained further revenge on Cowlairs by defeating them 6–1 to win their first trophy.
Matches
First round Team 1AggregateTeam 2Abercorn1–1CelticClyde?NorthernSt Mirren4–2DykebarDumbarton Athletic2–1MortonCowlairs9–1ThistleKilbirnie1–1KilmarnockPartick Thistle5–2AirdrieoniansAlbion Rovers4–3East Stirlingshire
Replays Team 1AggregateTeam 2Kilmarnock0–1KilbirnieCeltic?Abercorn
Quarter-finals Team 1AggregateTeam 2Cowlairs5–0ClydePartick Thistle2–1KilbirnieSt Mirren1–1Albion RoversCeltic3–1Dumbarton Athletic
Replays Team 1AggregateTeam 2Albion Rovers0–4St Mirren
Semi-finals Team 1AggregateTeam 2Celtic1–0Partick ThistleCowlairs1–0St Mirren
Final
GK Thomas DuffRB John McCartneyLB William McLeodRH Allan StewartCH Alexander Sinclair LHJames McPhersonOR Andrew BishopIR Tom McInnes CF James HamiltonIL James McCallOL John McPherson
GK Bill DunningRB James McLarenLB Alec CollinsRH Michael McKeownCH James KellyLH Paddy Gallacher OR Neil McCallumIR Michael DunbarCF Willie GrovesIL John ColemanOL John O'Connor
See also Glasgow International Exhibition Cup, similar tournament in 1901 at the same venue Edinburgh Exhibition Cup, similar tournament in 1908 Empire Exhibition Trophy, similar tournament in 1938 (also featuring English clubs) Saint Mungo Cup, similar tournament in 1951 Coronation Cup (football), similar tournament in 1953 (also featuring English clubs)
References