Ups & Downs

The first Scottish Football League season begins with 11 clubs taking part - Abercorn, Cambuslang, Celtic, Cowlairs, Dumbarton, Heart of Midlothian, Rangers, Renton, St Mirren, Third Lanark and Vale of Leven. However it ends with 10 teams, Renton, having incurred the wrath of the Scottish FA early on for playing a friendly game against St Bernard’s (who were considered to be a professional team, football in Scotland was supposedly strictly amateur at the time), were thrown out of the league and the 4 games they had played were declared void.

The first season ends with Cowlairs at the bottom of the league and they dropped out through not being re-elected to the league by the other league members.


Clyde and Leith Athletic were elected to the league and Renton were re-admitted, they had successfully taken the SFA to court over the matter of their unjust disqualification from the league in the first season.

The 1891/92 season had 12 teams competing for the title.

Cambuslang and Vale of Leven finish in the bottom two and are not re-elected.


There are no new admissions to the league, so it's back to 10 teams in the division for the 1892/93 season.

Abercorn and Clyde finish at the bottom of the Division One table and are not re-elected, instead they will play in the newly established Scottish Division Two.


Dundee and St Bernard’s are admitted to Division One.

Renton finish at the bottom of the Division One table and are relegated to Division Two.


Clyde are elected (not promoted) back into Division One - Hibernian finished top, with 5 more points! Northern are not re-elected to Division Two and Thistle did not apply for re-election. Airdrieonians and Dundee Wanderers are elected to Division Two in their place.

Leith Athletic prop up the the Division One table and are relegated to Division Two.


Hibernian are promoted to Division One and Cowlairs and Dundee Wanderers (after just one season) resign from the league, their places are taken by Kilmarnock and Linthouse.

Dumbarton finish at the foot of the the Division One table and are relegated to Division Two.


Abercorn are promoted from Division Two to One.

Abercorn finish at the bottom of the Division One table and are relegated.


Patrick Thistle are promoted from Division Two. Dumbarton resign from the League and will be replaced by Ayr (not Ayr United) for the 1897/98 season.

Clyde finish at the foot of Division One but are not relegated!


But that's OK, Kilmarnock win Division Two and are not promoted!!!

Renton resign from Division Two after 4 games (all losses), they are replaced by Hamilton Academical who fulfil the Renton fixtures and manage to avoid coming bottom, despite playing 4 games less than all the other sides.

Patrick Thistle are relegated from Division One, despite actually finishing second bottom, 2 points above Dundee.


Kilmarnock win Division Two (again), but this time are promoted!!!

Clyde and St Bernard's are relegated from Division One.


Partick Thistle and Morton are promoted to Division One, Linthouse finish bottom of Division Two and are not re-elected, so drop out, with East Stirlingshire taking their place. Queen's Park are directly admitted to Division One, no Division Two nonsense for them!

Partick Thistle are relegated from Division One.

No team is promoted to Division Two, but Arthurlie are elected into the league.

No relegations from Division One this season.

But Division One will have 12 teams next season as Port Glasgow Athletic and Partick Thistle are promoted from Two to One. Falkirk and Raith Rovers are elected into Division Two.

No relegations - again - from Division One this season.

Airdrieonians and Motherwell make the jump up from Division Two, Albion Rovers and Ayr Parkhouse are elected into Division Two.

Fourteen teams in Division One this season and again no relegations at the end of the year..

Hamilton Academical come top of a 12 team Division Two, but there's no promotion this season. Ayr Parkhouse finish bottom of the league and do not apply for re-election, Aberdeen take their place.

Nobody drops down from Division One.

Falkirk (2nd) and Aberdeen (7th) get elected to Division One, unfortunate Clyde win the Division Two title but stay where they are, Cowdenbeath and Vale of Leven will join Division Two next season.

Again, nobody waves goodbye to Division One, which now comprises 16 teams.

Clyde make it into Division One - they come 2nd - Leith Athletic finish top, but are not elected to go up, Hamilton Academical also move up a division, despite coming 4th, Albion Rovers in 3rd lose out to them. Ayr Parkhouse will rejoin Division Two next season.

No movement into or out of Division One this season.

No team is promoted to Division Two, no new incomers either.

Again, no movement into or out of Division One.

And no changes in Division Two.

Nobody drops down from Division One.

And so nobody moves up from Division Two.

Nobody drops down from Division One.

And so nobody moves up from Division Two, but both Ayr and Ayr Parkhouse leave the division and will be replaced next season by Ayr United (the only league team to have ever been formed from 2 previously active league teams).