| Season | 1896–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Heart of Midlothian 2nd title |
| Relegated | Abercorn |
| Matches | 90 |
| Goals | 388 (4.31 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Willie Taylor (12 goals) |
1897-98 → | |
The1896–97 Scottish Division One season was won byHeart of Midlothian, two points ahead of nearest rivalHibernian.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart of Midlothian(C) | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 47 | 22 | +25 | 28 | Champions |
| 2 | Hibernian | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 50 | 20 | +30 | 26 | |
| 3 | Rangers | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 64 | 30 | +34 | 25 | |
| 4 | Celtic | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 18 | +24 | 24 | |
| 5 | Dundee | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 22 | |
| 6 | St Mirren | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 38 | 29 | +9 | 19 | |
| 7 | St Bernard's | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 14 | |
| 8 | Third Lanark | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 11 | |
| 9 | Clyde | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 27 | 65 | −38 | 8 | |
| 10 | Abercorn(R) | 18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 21 | 88 | −67 | 3 | Relegated to the1897–98 Scottish Division Two |
| Home \ Away | ABC | CEL | CLY | DND | HOM | HIB | RAN | STB | STM | THI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abercorn | 0–6 | 1–3 | 1–7 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–9 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 1–2 | |
| Celtic | 5–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |
| Clyde | 6–2 | 2–7 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 0–7 | 2–7 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | |
| Dundee | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | |
| Heart of Midlothian | 6–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Hibernian | 9–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | |
| Rangers | 6–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 6–1 | |
| St Bernard's | 6–0 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–5 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | |
| St Mirren | 4–2 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | |
| Third Lanark | 8–3 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–5 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 |