TheScottish League XI was a representative side of theScottish 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 after regular European club competition was instituted in the 1950s; matches in the 1960s and 1970s 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.
Soon after the creation of theScottish Football League (SFL) in 1890, there was a desire on the part of its officials to test its strength against the more senior(English) Football League.[1] An Anglo-Scottish league match was first played in April 1892 atPike's Lane,[note 1]Bolton and ended in a 2–2 draw.[1][2] The first Football League team contained Scottish players (Harry Gardiner,Donald Gow,Willie Groves andTom McInnes).[1] 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 importance.[3] A return match was played atCeltic Park in April 1893, attracting an attendance of 31,500.[3][4] In the same year, the Scottish League played its first match against theIrish League XI, in Belfast.[3][5]
In the early years of organised football, clubs in the Football League were almost exclusively fromnorthern England and theMidlands, while clubs fromsouthern England played in theSouthern Football League.[6] 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, atMillwall in October 1910.[6][7] The Southern League won both that fixture and a match against The Football League in the same year.[6] These matches continued until the First World War,[8] after which the Southern League was absorbed into the Football League.Frederick Wall, the secretary ofthe Football Association, wrote to the SFL in 1913 objecting to the use of the term "international" in describing matches between the Scottish League and the Football League.[9] The SFL defended their right to use the term in Scottish advertising of the fixture.[9]
The Scottish League team was always at a disadvantage compared to theScotland national team because many of the better Scottish players were contracted to English clubs.[1] Despite this handicap, the Scottish League team performed quite well before the fixtures were stopped in 1915 due to theFirst World War.[10] The league itself continued during the conflict, unlike others in the UK, and three end-of-season fundraising friendly matches were played between the select team andCeltic, the Scottish champions in each of the seasons.[11][12][13] At the end of the war, the Scottish Football League was badly affected by the decline of heavy industry in the country, which meant that only theOld Firm clubs andMotherwell were able to retain a high standard of player.[10] To improve the standard of the Scottish League team, two notable English-born players were selected,Bob Ferrier of Motherwell andJ. B. McAlpine ofQueen's Park[10] as well asCounty Donegal-bornPatsy Gallacher.[14] 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.[10] Despite these efforts, the Scottish League team suffered heavy defeats against the Football League in 1928 (6–2) and 1930 (7–3).[15]
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 asfloodlights were not yet in use.[15] The match continued to be played because the fixtures in Scotland were well attended and therefore lucrative to both leagues.[15] The higher attendances in Scotland reflected the greater interest in the fixture there.[3] Some venues in England had good attendance though, particularlyNewcastle.[3] Matches against the Irish League XI were poorly attended.[3] Even in the early years of the fixture, steps were taken to improve attendance, such as moving it around Scotland and picking local players.[6] For example, the match in 1900 was played atEaster Road and each of the four senior Edinburgh clubs were represented.[6][16]
Just before the outbreak of theSecond World War in 1939, the Scottish League played its first match against theLeague of Ireland XI.[17] The clubs in the thenIrish Free State had formed their ownLeague of Ireland after thepartition of Ireland in 1922.[17] The League of Ireland XI surprisingly won 2–1 against a strong Scottish League XI.[17] Only one inter-league match (a fundraiser for theRoyal Air Force) was played during the Second World War, a 3–2 defeat against the Football League atBlackpool in October 1941.[17][18] The Scottish League XI selectedMatt Busby, who was then playing as a guest forHibernian.[19]
Attendances for the inter-league matches greatly increased after the war.[19] The first match, a 3–1 defeat to a Football League XI inspired byStanley Matthews andWilf Mannion, attracted 84,000 toHampden Park on asnowy day in March 1947.[19] Even the less attractive fixture against the Irish League XI drew a crowd of 62,000 toIbrox Park in 1949.[19] A frequent problem for the selectors was judging the strength of opposition and the importance of the match.[19] An example of this was when the Scottish League XI played aWelsh League XI atCardiff in September 1952, although the term "Welsh League" was inaccurate as their players were selected from the Welsh clubs playing in the Football League.[20] The Scottish League picked only a few players of genuine international quality and lost 3–0, withIvor Allchurch scoring twice for the Welsh side.[20]
The Scottish League XI played opposition from outside theBritish Isles for the first time in 1955, when aDanish Combination was beaten 4–0 inCopenhagen.[20] TheSouth African playerJohnny Hubbard scored one of the goals.[20][21] Perhaps the best result achieved by the Scottish League XI was in November 1961, when anItalian league team containingJohn Charles andDenis Law was held to a 1–1 draw at Hampden, watched by 67,000 fans.[20][22] A return match was played inRome a year later.[23] The Scots lost 4–3, but forwardsWillie Hamilton andCharlie Cooke made a significant impression.[23][24]
These kinds of contests were needed to revive interest in the inter-league matches, but they had come too late.[23] Fixture congestion, caused by increased domestic and European commitments, meant that it was very difficult to arrange dates when strong teams could be assembled.[23] Paradoxically, over the next fifteen years the approach to inter-league matches became more professional.[23] Scottish League XI matches were seen as preparation forWorld Cup andEuropean Nations Cup games.[23]John White was an example of a player who quickly became a Scotland international player after impressing in one of thetrial matches[25][26] between the Scottish League XI and a Scotland national team[23][27] – after moving to England, he was one of several who 'switched sides' and played for the SFA team against the SFL in a subsequent trial. The Scotland national team manager of the day would also manage the Scottish League XI.[23]
Despite this new-found professionalism and notable wins against the Football League in 1962[28] and 1966,[29] the inter-league matches were declining in importance.[23] Players who had been selected were often withdrawn if their club team had other commitments.[23] Games against the Irish leagues sometimes resulted in embarrassing mismatches, such as an 11–0 win against a League of Ireland XI in 1962.[23] This affected the level of interest amongst fans, and only 5,000 attended a match against theIrish League XI at Ibrox in 1969.[23][30]
Any remaining credibility of the inter-league matches was finally destroyed by a 5–0 defeat against the Football League atMaine Road in 1974.[31] 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.[31] Two years later, less than 10,000 fans attended a low-key return match at Hampden and the fixture was put into abeyance.[31] The Scottish League XI played out a creditable 1–1 draw in 1978 against an Italian league team inVerona, as preparation for the1978 FIFA World Cup.[23][32][33] Games were played against both Irish leagues in 1980,[34][35] 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 theScotland national team.[36][37] The manager of the Scottish League team wasDundee United managerJim McLean.[36] The Scottish League select won 1–0, with the only goal scored from apenalty kick byDutch playerHans Gillhaus.[38][37][39]
Bobby Evans holds the record for Scottish League XI appearances, having played 25 times between 1948 and 1960.[40]George Young attained 22caps, and is the only other player to have won at least 20.[40] Seventeen other players achieved at least 10 caps.[40]Willie Bauld scored the most goals for the Scottish League XI, with his 15 goals coming in 13 appearances between 1949 and 1958.[41]Lawrie Reilly scored 14 goals in as many games.[41] 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).[41]Bobby Collins (12) andWilliam Reid (10) also scored at least 10 goals for the team.[41]
Against other league selects
| Years | Manager | P | W | D | L | %W | %D | %L | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Jock Stein | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | [42] |
| 1966 | Malky MacDonald | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | [43] |
| 1966 | John Prentice | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | [44] |
| 1967–71 | Bobby Brown | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 28.57 | 14.29 | 57.14 | |
| 1972 | Tommy Docherty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | [45] |
| 1973–76 | Willie Ormond | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 25 | 50 | [46] |
| 1978–80 | Jock Stein | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33 | 66.67 | [47] |
Against other opponents
| Years | Manager | P | W | D | L | %W | %D | %L | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Ally McLeod | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | [48] |
| 1990 | Jim McLean | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | [49] |
Unlike theScotland national team, the Scottish League XI had no traditional home ground. Matches were moved around various club grounds. The high-profile matches against theFootball League and theItalian league were always played in one of the three main stadiums in Glasgow:Hampden Park,Ibrox Park orCeltic Park.[50][51] 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.[50] The less attractive matches, against theIrish League XI or theLeague of Ireland XI, were spread around Scotland more evenly.[52][53] Grounds inDundee (Carolina Port andDens Park),Edinburgh (Easter Road andTynecastle),Paisley (Love Street) andMotherwell (Fir Park) were used in addition to Glasgow.[52] Smaller stadiums were also used in Glasgow itself, namelyFirhill andShawfield.[52]
The largest margin of victory achieved by a Scottish League XI is 11–0, against theLeague 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.[23][31]
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | %W | %D | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Denmark League XI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 The Football League XI[note 2][18] | 75 | 19 | 14 | 42 | 25.33 | 18.67 | 56 |
 Highland League XI[55] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
  Irish League XI | 62 | 56 | 1 | 5 | 90.32 | 1.61 | 8.06 |
 Serie A XI[note 3] | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67 | 33.33 |
 League of Ireland XI | 22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 77.27 | 13.64 | 9.09 |
| Scottish Alliance XI[56][57] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Division Two XI[58] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Southern League XI[59] | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 20 | 40 |
 Welsh League XI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Totals | 172 | 98 | 21 | 53 | 56.98 | 12.21 | 30.81 |
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | %W | %D | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland (SFA)[60][25][27][37] | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 28.57 | 28.57 | 42.86 |
| Celtic FC[11][12][13] | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67 | 0 | 33.33 |
 Military XI[61] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Sunderland AFC[62][63][64] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Leicester City FC[65] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Cambuslang FC[66] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Falkirk FC[67][68] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 46.67 | 13.33 | 33.33 |
P - Played; W - Won; D - Drawn; L - Lost