Scottish League XI
Encyclopedia
The Scottish League XI is a representative side of the Scottish Football League
. The team regularly played against the (English) Football League
and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture between the English and Scottish leagues was only second in importance to the matches between the two national teams. The fixture declined in importance, however, particularly after regular European club competition was instituted in the 1950s. Later matches were played irregularly and poorly attended. A match involving a Scottish League XI was last played in 1990, to mark the centenary of the League.
in 1890, there was a desire on the part of its officials to test its strength against the more senior (English) Football League
. An Anglo-Scottish league match was first played in April 1892 at Pike's Lane,Pike's Lane was the home ground of Bolton Wanderers
until 1895, when the club moved to Burnden Park
. Bolton
and ended in a 2–2 draw. The first Football League team contained Scottish players (Donald Gow
, Willie Groves
and Tom McInnes
). This practice did not continue, however, as Scots were not selected for the Football League again until the 1960s, by when the match was declining in importances. A return match was played at Celtic Park
in April 1893, attracting an attendance of 31,500. In the same year, the Scottish League played its first match against the Irish League XI
, in Belfast.
In the early years of organised football, clubs in the Football League were almost exclusively from northern England
and the Midlands, while clubs from southern England
played in the Southern Football League
. The increased importance of the Southern League was reflected when a fixture was played between the Scottish League and the Southern League for the first time, at Millwall
in October 1910. The Southern League won both that fixture and a match against The Football League in the same year. These matches continued until the First World War, after which the Southern League was absorbed into the Football League.
The Scottish League team was always at a disadvantage compared to the national team because many of the better Scottish players would be playing for English clubs. Despite this handicap, the Scottish League team performed quite well before the fixtures were stopped due to the First World War. After the end of the war, however, the Scottish Football League was badly affected by the decline of heavy industry, which meant that only the Old Firm
clubs and Motherwell
were able to retain a high standard of player. To improve the standard of the Scottish League team, two notable English-born players were selected, Bob Ferrier
of Motherwell and J.B. McAlpine of Queen's Park
. Their birthplace meant that they were ineligible to play for the national team, but they were educated and played all of their senior football in Scotland. Despite these efforts, the Scottish League team suffered heavy defeats against the Football League in 1928 (6–2) and 1930 (7–3).
The Football League started to express concerns about the viability of the match, particularly because playing it on a Saturday meant that any cancelled league fixtures had to be played instead on midweek afternoons as floodlights were not yet in use. The match continued to be played because the fixtures in Scotland were well attended and therefore lucrative to both leagues. The higher attendances in Scotland reflected the greater interest in the fixture there. Some venues in England had good attendance though, particularly Newcastle. Matches against the Irish League XI were poorly attended. Even in the early years of the fixture, steps were taken to improve attendance, such as moving it around Scotland and picking local players. For example, the match in 1900 was played at Easter Road
and each of the four senior Edinburgh clubs were represented.
Just before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the Scottish League played its first match against the League of Ireland XI
. The clubs in the then Irish Free State
had formed their own League of Ireland
after the partition of Ireland
in 1922. The League of Ireland XI surprisingly won 2–1 against a strong Scottish League XI. Only one inter-league match was played during the Second World War, a 3–2 defeat against the Football League at Blackpool
in October 1941. The Scottish League XI selected Matt Busby
, who was then playing as a guest for Hibernian
.
Attendances for the inter-league matches greatly increased after the war. The first match, a 3–1 defeat to a Football League XI inspired by Stanley Matthews
and Wilf Mannion
, attracted 84,000 to Hampden Park
on a snow
y day in March 1947. Even the less attractive fixture against the Irish League XI drew a crowd of 62,000 to Ibrox Park in 1949. A frequent problem for the selectors was judging the strength of opposition and the importance of the match. An example of this was when the Scottish League XI played a Welsh League XI at Cardiff
in September 1952, although the term "Welsh League" was inaccurate as their players were selected from the Welsh clubs playing in the Football League. The Scottish League picked only a few players of genuine international quality and lost 3–0, with Ivor Allchurch
scoring twice for the Welsh side.
The Scottish League XI played opposition from outside the British Isles
for the first time in 1955, when a Danish Combination
was beaten 4–0 in Copenhagen
. The South Africa
n player Johnny Hubbard
scored one of the goals. Perhaps the best result achieved by the Scottish League XI was in November 1961, when a Italian league
team containing John Charles
and Denis Law
was held to a 1–1 draw at Hampden, watched by 67,000 fans. A return match was played in Rome
a year later. The Scots lost 4–3, but forwards Willie Hamilton
and Charlie Cooke
made a significant impression.
These kind of contests were needed to revive interest in the inter-league matches, but they had come too late. Fixture congestion, caused by increased domestic and European commitments, meant that it was very difficult to arrange dates when strong teams could be assembled. Paradoxically, over the next fifteen years the approach to inter-league matches became more professional. Scottish League XI matches were seen as preparation for World Cup
and European Nations Cup
games. John White was an example of a player who quickly became a Scotland international player after impressing in one of the trial matches between the Scottish League XI and a Scotland national team. The Scotland national team manager of the day would also manage the Scottish League XI.
Despite this new-found professionalism and notable wins against the Football League in 1962 and 1966, the inter-league matches were declining in importance. Players who had been selected were often withdrawn if their club team had other commitments. Games against the Irish leagues sometimes resulted in embarrassing mismatches, such as an 11–0 win against a League of Ireland XI in 1962. This affected the level of interest amongst fans, and only 5,000 attended a match against the Irish League XI at Ibrox in 1969.
Any remaining credibility of the inter-league matches was finally destroyed by a 5–0 defeat against the Football League at Maine Road
in 1974. The Scottish League team only contained a few players who had any realistic hope of playing regularly for the Scotland national team, while the Football League had picked a strong side. Two years later, less than 10,000 fans attended a low-key return match at Hampden and the fixture was put into abeyance. The Scottish League XI played out a creditable 1–1 draw in 1978 against an Italian league team in Verona
, as preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup
. Games were played against both Irish leagues in 1980, but no inter-league matches have been played by the Scottish League since then.
A Scottish League team last played in 1990, to mark the league's centenary, in a match against the Scotland national team
. The manager of the Scottish League team was Dundee United
manager Jim McLean
. The Scottish League select won 1–0, with the only goal scored from a penalty kick
by Dutch
player Hans Gillhaus
.
manager Jim McLean
. The following team, dominated by players from the New Firm
of Aberdeen
and Dundee United, was selected by McLean:
, the Scottish League XI had no traditional home ground. Matches were moved around various club grounds. The high-profile matches against the Football League
and the Italian league
were always played in one of the three main stadiums in Glasgow: Hampden Park
, Ibrox Park or Celtic Park
. Until the fixture declined in importance in the late 1960s, matches against the Football League would regularly attract crowds in excess of 40,000, peaking at 90,000 in 1949. The less attractive matches, against the Irish League XI
or the League of Ireland XI
, were spread around Scotland more evenly. Grounds in Dundee
(Carolina Port
and Dens Park
), Edinburgh
(Easter Road
and Tynecastle
), Paisley
(Love Street) and Motherwell (Fir Park
) were used in addition to Glasgow. Smaller stadiums were also used in Glasgow itself, namely Firhill
and Shawfield
.
holds the record for Scottish League XI appearances, having played 25 times between 1948 and 1960. George Young
attained 22 caps
, and is the only other player to have won at least 20. Seventeen other players achieved at least 10 caps. Willie Bauld
scored the most goals for the Scottish League XI, with his 15 goals coming in 13 appearances between 1949 and 1958. Lawrie Reilly
scored 14 goals in as many games. As well as being the third highest scorer, Barney Battles, Jr.
is also the most prolific, with his 13 goals coming from only five games (averaging 2.6 goals per game). Bobby Collins
(12) and William Reid (10) also scored at least 10 goals for the team.
The largest margin of victory achieved by a Scottish League XI is 11–0, against the League of Ireland XI
in 1962. The record defeat occurred in 1974, a 5–0 deficit against the Football League. Both matches helped to precipitate the end of inter-league matches.
P - Played; W - Won; D - Drawn; L - Lost
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
. The team regularly played against the (English) Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture between the English and Scottish leagues was only second in importance to the matches between the two national teams. The fixture declined in importance, however, particularly after regular European club competition was instituted in the 1950s. Later matches were played irregularly and poorly attended. A match involving a Scottish League XI was last played in 1990, to mark the centenary of the League.
History
Soon after the creation of the Scottish Football LeagueScottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
in 1890, there was a desire on the part of its officials to test its strength against the more senior (English) Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. An Anglo-Scottish league match was first played in April 1892 at Pike's Lane,Pike's Lane was the home ground of Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
until 1895, when the club moved to Burnden Park
Burnden Park
Burnden Park was the home of English FA Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games here between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting an FA Cup Final replay it was the scene of one of the greatest disasters in English football and the subject of an L. S...
. Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
and ended in a 2–2 draw. The first Football League team contained Scottish players (Donald Gow
Donald Gow
Donald Gow was a Scottish footballer who played for Sunderland and the Scottish national football team as a Full back.-Club career:...
, Willie Groves
Willie Groves
William "Willie" Groves was a Scottish footballer who played for Hibernian, Celtic, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Scotland. He is known for being the very first player to be transferred for more than £100....
and Tom McInnes
Tom McInnes (footballer born March 1870)
Thomas "Tom" McInnes was a Scottish professional footballer who scored 67 goals from 226 appearances playing as an inside forward for Notts County, Everton and Luton Town in the Football League and for Third Lanark in the Scottish Football League. McInnes played on the losing side for Notts County...
). This practice did not continue, however, as Scots were not selected for the Football League again until the 1960s, by when the match was declining in importances. A return match was played at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
in April 1893, attracting an attendance of 31,500. In the same year, the Scottish League played its first match against the Irish League XI
Irish League XI
The Irish League representative team was the representative side of the Irish Football League, the national league for football in Northern Ireland and, prior to that, Ireland.-Irish League representative match results:...
, in Belfast.
In the early years of organised football, clubs in the Football League were almost exclusively from northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
and the Midlands, while clubs from southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
played in the Southern Football League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
. The increased importance of the Southern League was reflected when a fixture was played between the Scottish League and the Southern League for the first time, at Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in October 1910. The Southern League won both that fixture and a match against The Football League in the same year. These matches continued until the First World War, after which the Southern League was absorbed into the Football League.
The Scottish League team was always at a disadvantage compared to the national team because many of the better Scottish players would be playing for English clubs. Despite this handicap, the Scottish League team performed quite well before the fixtures were stopped due to the First World War. After the end of the war, however, the Scottish Football League was badly affected by the decline of heavy industry, which meant that only the Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
clubs and Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
were able to retain a high standard of player. To improve the standard of the Scottish League team, two notable English-born players were selected, Bob Ferrier
Bob Ferrier (English footballer)
Robert 'Bob' Ferrier was an English football player who played for Motherwell. He holds the record for most appearances in the Scottish Football League, and is one of the top ten goalscorers. Ferrier represented the Scottish League XI in seven inter-league matches, scoring five goals. He was also...
of Motherwell and J.B. McAlpine of Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
. Their birthplace meant that they were ineligible to play for the national team, but they were educated and played all of their senior football in Scotland. Despite these efforts, the Scottish League team suffered heavy defeats against the Football League in 1928 (6–2) and 1930 (7–3).
The Football League started to express concerns about the viability of the match, particularly because playing it on a Saturday meant that any cancelled league fixtures had to be played instead on midweek afternoons as floodlights were not yet in use. The match continued to be played because the fixtures in Scotland were well attended and therefore lucrative to both leagues. The higher attendances in Scotland reflected the greater interest in the fixture there. Some venues in England had good attendance though, particularly Newcastle. Matches against the Irish League XI were poorly attended. Even in the early years of the fixture, steps were taken to improve attendance, such as moving it around Scotland and picking local players. For example, the match in 1900 was played at Easter Road
Easter Road
Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hibernian . The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of 20,421, which makes it the fifth-largest football stadium in Scotland. Easter Road is also...
and each of the four senior Edinburgh clubs were represented.
Just before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the Scottish League played its first match against the League of Ireland XI
League of Ireland XI
The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938....
. The clubs in the then Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
had formed their own League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
after the partition of Ireland
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
in 1922. The League of Ireland XI surprisingly won 2–1 against a strong Scottish League XI. Only one inter-league match was played during the Second World War, a 3–2 defeat against the Football League at Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
in October 1941. The Scottish League XI selected Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
, who was then playing as a guest for Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
.
Attendances for the inter-league matches greatly increased after the war. The first match, a 3–1 defeat to a Football League XI inspired by Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
and Wilf Mannion
Wilf Mannion
Wilfred James Mannion was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward, making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England...
, attracted 84,000 to Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
on a snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
y day in March 1947. Even the less attractive fixture against the Irish League XI drew a crowd of 62,000 to Ibrox Park in 1949. A frequent problem for the selectors was judging the strength of opposition and the importance of the match. An example of this was when the Scottish League XI played a Welsh League XI at Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
in September 1952, although the term "Welsh League" was inaccurate as their players were selected from the Welsh clubs playing in the Football League. The Scottish League picked only a few players of genuine international quality and lost 3–0, with Ivor Allchurch
Ivor Allchurch
Ivor John Allchurch MBE was a Welsh international footballer. His brother was Len Allchurch.Known as 'The Golden Boy' of Welsh football, Allchurch played for Swansea Town, Newcastle United and Cardiff City, where he amassed 691 games scoring 249 goals. His record of 68 caps for Wales stood until...
scoring twice for the Welsh side.
The Scottish League XI played opposition from outside the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
for the first time in 1955, when a Danish Combination
Denmark League XI national football team
The Denmark League XI national football team is an unofficial national football team run by the Danish Football Association.The team generally consists of Danish players playing in the Danish Superliga, or other leagues if the clubs there agree to release them...
was beaten 4–0 in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. The South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n player Johnny Hubbard
Johnny Hubbard
Jonathan "Johnny" Hubbard, MBE is a retired South African footballer who spent the majority of his career at Rangers, and latterly played for Bury and Ayr United....
scored one of the goals. Perhaps the best result achieved by the Scottish League XI was in November 1961, when a Italian league
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
team containing John Charles
John Charles
William John Charles, CBE , commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back...
and Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
was held to a 1–1 draw at Hampden, watched by 67,000 fans. A return match was played in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
a year later. The Scots lost 4–3, but forwards Willie Hamilton
Willie Hamilton (footballer)
William Murdoch Hamilton was a professional footballer with Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian and Aston Villa, and gained one cap for Scotland. He became known for his wild lifestyle which overshadowed his playing ability...
and Charlie Cooke
Charlie Cooke
Charles 'Charlie' Cooke is a former Scottish footballer. He was a talented and skilful winger who played for Aberdeen, Dundee, Chelsea and Crystal Palace before ending his career in the United States....
made a significant impression.
These kind of contests were needed to revive interest in the inter-league matches, but they had come too late. Fixture congestion, caused by increased domestic and European commitments, meant that it was very difficult to arrange dates when strong teams could be assembled. Paradoxically, over the next fifteen years the approach to inter-league matches became more professional. Scottish League XI matches were seen as preparation for World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and European Nations Cup
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
games. John White was an example of a player who quickly became a Scotland international player after impressing in one of the trial matches between the Scottish League XI and a Scotland national team. The Scotland national team manager of the day would also manage the Scottish League XI.
Despite this new-found professionalism and notable wins against the Football League in 1962 and 1966, the inter-league matches were declining in importance. Players who had been selected were often withdrawn if their club team had other commitments. Games against the Irish leagues sometimes resulted in embarrassing mismatches, such as an 11–0 win against a League of Ireland XI in 1962. This affected the level of interest amongst fans, and only 5,000 attended a match against the Irish League XI at Ibrox in 1969.
Any remaining credibility of the inter-league matches was finally destroyed by a 5–0 defeat against the Football League at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
in 1974. The Scottish League team only contained a few players who had any realistic hope of playing regularly for the Scotland national team, while the Football League had picked a strong side. Two years later, less than 10,000 fans attended a low-key return match at Hampden and the fixture was put into abeyance. The Scottish League XI played out a creditable 1–1 draw in 1978 against an Italian league team in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, as preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
. Games were played against both Irish leagues in 1980, but no inter-league matches have been played by the Scottish League since then.
A Scottish League team last played in 1990, to mark the league's centenary, in a match against the Scotland national team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. The manager of the Scottish League team was Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
manager Jim McLean
Jim McLean
James Yuill McLean is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best known for his 22-year spell as manager of Dundee United; the longest-serving and most successful manager in the club's history, he led them to three major honours and established them as a force in European competitions...
. The Scottish League select won 1–0, with the only goal scored from a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
by Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
player Hans Gillhaus
Hans Gillhaus
Johannes "Hans" Paulus Gillhaus is a retired Dutch footballer who played primarily as a left-sided forward.During a 16-year professional career, he amassed Eredivisie totals of 348 games and 146 goals, mainly in representation of Den Bosch and PSV, also playing abroad in Scotland, Japan and...
.
Players
A Scottish League XI was last selected in 1990, by Dundee UnitedDundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
manager Jim McLean
Jim McLean
James Yuill McLean is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best known for his 22-year spell as manager of Dundee United; the longest-serving and most successful manager in the club's history, he led them to three major honours and established them as a force in European competitions...
. The following team, dominated by players from the New Firm
New Firm (Scotland)
The New Firm was the short-lived term used, during the 1980s, to describe the rivalry between Scottish football clubs Aberdeen and Dundee United...
of Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
and Dundee United, was selected by McLean:
- Theo SneldersTheo SneldersTheodorus Antonius Gerardus Snelders is a former Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Career:...
(AberdeenAberdeen F.C.Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
) - Gary StevensGary StevensGary Michael Stevens is a retired English footballer who is best remembered playing in defence for a successful Everton side of the 1980s, as well as for the England national football team....
(RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
) - David RobertsonDavid Robertson (footballer born 1968)David Robertson is a retired Scottish footballer who played as a left back. Throughout his career, Robertson played for Aberdeen, Rangers, Leeds United and Montrose.- Playing career :...
(Aberdeen) - Jim McInallyJim McInallyJames Edward McInally is a former Scottish footballer and was previously manager of East Stirlingshire.-Playing career:...
(Dundee UnitedDundee United F.C.Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
) - Miodrag KrivokapićMiodrag KrivokapićMiodrag Krivokapić is a Montenegrin former footballer who played in defence. He lives in Glasgow.-Career:...
(Dundee United) - Freddie van der Hoorn (Dundee United)
- Istvan Kozma (DunfermlineDunfermline Athletic F.C.Dunfermline Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Dunfermline, Fife, commonly known as just Dunfermline. They currently compete in the Scottish Premier League....
) - Paul LambertPaul LambertPaul Christopher Lambert is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the manager of Norwich City. He won numerous trophies as a player, winning the Scottish Cup with St...
(St. MirrenSt. Mirren F.C.St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...
) - Charlie Nicholas (CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
) - Bobby ConnorBobby ConnorRobert James "Bobby" Connor is a Scottish retired professional footballer who played as an midfielder. During his playing career, Connor made nearly 600 appearances in the Scottish Football League, and earned four caps for the Scottish national side between 1986 and 1990...
(Aberdeen) - Hans GillhausHans GillhausJohannes "Hans" Paulus Gillhaus is a retired Dutch footballer who played primarily as a left-sided forward.During a 16-year professional career, he amassed Eredivisie totals of 348 games and 146 goals, mainly in representation of Den Bosch and PSV, also playing abroad in Scotland, Japan and...
(Aberdeen)
Stadium
Unlike the Scotland national teamScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, the Scottish League XI had no traditional home ground. Matches were moved around various club grounds. The high-profile matches against the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and the Italian league
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
were always played in one of the three main stadiums in Glasgow: Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, Ibrox Park or Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
. Until the fixture declined in importance in the late 1960s, matches against the Football League would regularly attract crowds in excess of 40,000, peaking at 90,000 in 1949. The less attractive matches, against the Irish League XI
Irish League XI
The Irish League representative team was the representative side of the Irish Football League, the national league for football in Northern Ireland and, prior to that, Ireland.-Irish League representative match results:...
or the League of Ireland XI
League of Ireland XI
The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938....
, were spread around Scotland more evenly. Grounds in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
(Carolina Port
Carolina Port
Carolina Port was a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. The sport's first major venue in the city, it was an early home of Dundee F.C. and staged Dundee's first international match in 1896.-History:...
and Dens Park
Dens Park
Dens Park is a football stadium located on Dens Road in Dundee, Scotland. The stadium is the home of Dundee F.C. and has a capacity of 12,085...
), Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
(Easter Road
Easter Road
Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hibernian . The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of 20,421, which makes it the fifth-largest football stadium in Scotland. Easter Road is also...
and Tynecastle
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
), Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
(Love Street) and Motherwell (Fir Park
Fir Park
Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.- History :...
) were used in addition to Glasgow. Smaller stadiums were also used in Glasgow itself, namely Firhill
Firhill Stadium
Firhill Stadium or Firhill Arena is a football, rugby union and rugby league stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland. As of 2010 it is the home ground of football club Partick Thistle F.C...
and Shawfield
Shawfield Stadium
Shawfield Stadium is a greyhound racing venue in the town of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located close to the boundary with Glasgow. It has also previously been a regular venue for football and speedway, as home to Clyde F.C. and the Glasgow Tigers respectively...
.
Records
Bobby EvansBobby Evans
Robert "Bobby" Evans was a Scottish football player and manager, most notable for his time with Celtic....
holds the record for Scottish League XI appearances, having played 25 times between 1948 and 1960. George Young
George Young (footballer)
George Lewis Young was a Scottish footballer, best remembered for his association with Rangers and for being the first player to receive over 50 caps for the Scotland national team.-Club:...
attained 22 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, and is the only other player to have won at least 20. Seventeen other players achieved at least 10 caps. Willie Bauld
Willie Bauld
William "Willie" Russell Logan Gavin Chalmers Bauld was a footballer who played for Newtongrange Star, Heart of Midlothian, Edinburgh City and the Scotland national team.-Heart of Midlothian:...
scored the most goals for the Scottish League XI, with his 15 goals coming in 13 appearances between 1949 and 1958. Lawrie Reilly
Lawrie Reilly
Lawrance "Lawrie" Reilly is a former Scottish association football player. He was one of the "Famous Five", the Hibernian forward line during the 1950s. The others were Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith, Eddie Turnbull, and Willie Ormond...
scored 14 goals in as many games. As well as being the third highest scorer, Barney Battles, Jr.
Barney Battles, Jr.
Bernard "Barney" Joseph Battles was a Scottish footballer whose name is synonymous with Heart of Midlothian...
is also the most prolific, with his 13 goals coming from only five games (averaging 2.6 goals per game). Bobby Collins
Bobby Collins
Robert Young "Bobby" Collins is a Scottish former football player, best known for his successful spells at Celtic, Everton and Leeds United...
(12) and William Reid (10) also scored at least 10 goals for the team.
The largest margin of victory achieved by a Scottish League XI is 11–0, against the League of Ireland XI
League of Ireland XI
The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938....
in 1962. The record defeat occurred in 1974, a 5–0 deficit against the Football League. Both matches helped to precipitate the end of inter-league matches.
Results by opponent
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | %W | %D | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Denmark League XIDenmark League XI national football team The Denmark League XI national football team is an unofficial national football team run by the Danish Football Association.The team generally consists of Danish players playing in the Danish Superliga, or other leagues if the clubs there agree to release them... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
 The Football LeagueThe Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
75This total includes two Victory Inter-league matches played in 1919 and one match played during the Second World War. In both World Wars, regular league football was suspended. | 19 | 14 | 42 | |||
 Irish League XI |
62 | 56 | 1 | 5 | |||
 Serie ASerie A Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new... |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |||
| League of Ireland XI League of Ireland XI The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938.... |
22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | |||
| Southern Football League Southern Football League The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales... |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
 Welsh League XI |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Totals | 169 | 95 | 21 | 53 | | |
P - Played; W - Won; D - Drawn; L - Lost