| Season | 1890–91 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 August 1890 – 21 May 1891 |
| Champions | Dumbarton andRangers (both 1st title) |
| Relegated | Cowlairs (not re-elected) |
| Matches | 90 |
| Goals | 409 (4.54 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Jack Bell (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Celtic 9–1Vale of Leven (5 May 1891) |
| Biggest away win | Heart of Midlothian 0–5Celtic (23 August 1890) Cowlairs 1–6Dumbarton (25 October 1890) Cowlairs 0–5Celtic (29 April 1891) |
| Highest scoring | Cowlairs 7–5Abercorn (28 February 1891) |
| Longest winning run | 8 games: Dumbarton |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 games: Dumbarton |
| Longest winless run | 8 games: St Mirren |
| Longest losing run | 7 games: Abercorn |
1891–92 → | |
The1890–91 Scottish Football League was the first season of theScottish Football League. It began on 16 August 1890 and concluded on 21 May 1891. The league was won jointly byDumbarton andRangers who ended the season with an equal number of points.
Dumbarton andRangers ended the league season with an equal number of points so a play-off match was organised atCathkin Park inGlasgow on 21 May 1891 to determine the winner.[1] The game ended in a 2–2 draw so both clubs were declared champions.
On 30 September 1890 after playing four games in the league,Renton was suspended by theScottish Football Association for professionalism, and the club was subsequently expelled from the league with their record expunged.[2]Celtic,3rd LRV andCowlairs were docked four points each for fielding ineligible players.[3] At the end of the season, the bottom three teams had to submit applications to rejoin the league for the next season along with other non-league clubs.St Mirren,Vale of Leven andCowlairs submitted applications along with non-league clubLeith Athletic. In the election, Cowlairs lost their league position to Leith Athletic, with St Mirren and Vale of Leven being re-elected.[4]
The inaugural season of the Scottish Football League was contested by 11 clubs. This was reduced to 10 clubs after four games whenRenton was expelled from the league for professionalism.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dumbarton[a](C) | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 61 | 21 | +40 | 29 | Joint Champions |
| 1 | Rangers[a](C) | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 58 | 25 | +33 | 29 | |
| 3 | Celtic | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 48 | 21 | +27 | 21[b] | |
| 4 | Cambuslang | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 47 | 42 | +5 | 20 | |
| 5 | 3rd LRV | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 39 | −1 | 15[b] | |
| 6 | Heart of Midlothian | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 31 | 37 | −6 | 14 | |
| 7 | Abercorn | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 12 | |
| 8 | St Mirren | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 39 | 62 | −23 | 11 | Re-elected |
| 8 | Vale of Leven | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 27 | 65 | −38 | 11 | |
| 10 | Cowlairs[c](R) | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 24 | 50 | −26 | 6[b] | Not re-elected |
| 11 | Renton[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Expelled, record expunged |
| Home \ Away | ABC | CAM | CEL | COW | DUM | HOM | RAN | STM | VOL | 3RD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abercorn | 2–5 | 1–5 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 6–0 | 2–4 | |
| Cambuslang | 4–5 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–6 | 3–2 | 8–2 | 2–2 | |
| Celtic | 2–0 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 9–1 | 1–1 | |
| Cowlairs | 7–5 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 1–6 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 2–2 | |
| Dumbarton | 5–1 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–0 | 5–1 | |
| Heart of Midlothian | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–5 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 8–1 | 4–1 | |
| Rangers | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 8–2 | 4–0 | 4–1 | |
| St Mirren | 4–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 3–7 | 1–1 | 3–2 | |
| Vale of Leven | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 5–2 | 1–2 | |
| 3rd Lanark RV | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 5–3 | 4–1 |
Rangers defeated3rd Lanark RV 4–1 in their final league match on 9 May 1891[7] to move level with Dumbarton on 29 points, and a play-off was organised to determine which team would be crowned champions. However, the match finished as a draw and, with no more dates available for a further replay before the end of the season, it was decided that Dumbarton and Rangers would be declared joint champions.[8][9][10]
| Dumbarton | 2–2 | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| [1] |