Scottish Qualifying Cup

The Scottish Qualifying Cup was a football competition played in Scotland between 1895 and 2007. During that time, apart from a brief spell in the 1950s, it was the only way for non-league teams to qualify for the Scottish Cup. The Qualifying Cup was open to all full member clubs of the Scottish Football Association, who were not members of the Scottish Premier League or Scottish Football League. In June 2007 the Scottish Football Association announced a new format for the Scottish Cup from season 2007–08 that would allow all full member clubs direct entry into the competition and consequently the Qualifying Cup competition was scrapped.

History 
The Qualifying Cup was introduced in 1895 to make the number of entries into the main Scottish Cup more manageable and reduce the number of mis-matched ties in the early rounds. Until season 1930–31 it was played as a single national competition, although ties were often drawn on a geographical basis so that the final would often be between the best teams in the North and South. From 1931 there were separate competitions for the North and South, and additionally in 1946–47 and 1947–48 there was a Midlands competition. There was a brief hiatus for three seasons between 1954–55 to 1956–57 when all clubs were given direct entry into the Scottish Cup and the Qualifying Cup was not contested.

Structure 
In its final form, the competition was divided into two sections; The Qualifying Cup (North) and Qualifying Cup (South). Teams played each other within the North/South regions in a knockout format where teams were drawn against each other randomly. In the draw, the team who was drawn first from each tie was the home team. If the first match finished a draw then a replay was played at the ground of the second team. In the replay, if the scores were still level, extra time was played and penalties used if necessary to decide the winner of the tie.

The four teams which reached the semi-finals (last four) in each region qualified automatically for the Scottish Cup. Hence, eight non-league teams qualified each year for the Scottish Cup.

Eligible Clubs 
The following clubs were eligible to play in the last competition in 2006–07.

Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) 
15 teams in membership of the Highland Football League
Brora Rangers
Buckie Thistle
Clachnacuddin
Cove Rangers
Deveronvale
Forres Mechanics
Fort William
Fraserburgh
Huntly
Inverurie Loco Works
Keith
Lossiemouth
Nairn County
Rothes
Wick Academy
Golspie Sutherland of the North Caledonian League

Scottish Qualifying Cup (South) 
13 teams in membership of the East of Scotland Football League
Annan Athletic
Civil Service Strollers
Coldstream
Dalbeattie Star
Edinburgh City
Edinburgh University
Gala Fairydean
Hawick Royal Albert
Preston Athletic
Selkirk
Spartans
Vale of Leithen
Whitehill Welfare
The following clubs from the South of Scotland Football League
Newton Stewart
St Cuthbert Wanderers
Threave Rovers
Wigtown & Bladnoch
Burntisland Shipyard of the Kingdom Caledonian League
Girvan of the SJFA Western Region
Glasgow University of the Caledonian League

References

External links
Scottish Qualifying Cup Finals 1895-1930 at RSSSF

Category:Defunct football cup competitions in Scotland
Category:Scottish Cup