Scottish Football League 1939-40

Scottish Football League

Emergency competition 1939-40

See also

When Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, the Scottish Football League had already played five rounds of its fixture card when all football was suspended. The Scottish FA, because of a government ban on all outdoor activities, cancelled all players' contracts although their club registrations would remain active. On 13 September, the Scottish League officially suspended its competition but set up a committee to explore the possibility of starting regional leagues. These were rubber-stamped on 26 September and commenced a month later. The two divisions would consisit of sixteen clubs each, and be split into western and eastern sections. This left six clubs out ie Montrose, Brechin City, Forfar Athletic, Leith Athletic, Edinburgh City and East Stirlingshire.

Half way through the season, Cowdenbeath resigned, but as they had played all the other clubs once, their record was allowed to stand. The competition was completed by a play-off between the two divisional winners, which was ironic as Rangers had led from Falkirk by a point in the First Division before it was cancelled. Although the Scottish League had intended returning to the pre-War set-up, events at Dunkirk in 1940 changed this. The League Committee decided to suspend the League for the duration of the War, but let its member clubs form their own competitions in the meantime. This prompted sixteen clubs to create the Southern League, and a year later eight teams to set up a North Eastern League.

Play off (1 June 1940, at Hampden Park, Glasgow)

Rangers 2 Falkirk 1

Western Division

Aird

Ayr

Celt

Clyd

Dumb

Ham

Kil

Mort

Moth

PTh

QoS

Rang

StM

ThL

Airdrieonians

J01 1-4

M30 4-1

J06 0-1

021 1-6

D02 3-2

a08 1-1

N04 3-0

m18 3-2

J13 5-2

D16 1-2

F10 4-1

a22 3-3

N18 0-1

m13 4-2

m10 4-2

Albion Rovers

a06 0-1

028 2-1

N25 3-2

a20 2-1

a17 3-1

a27 1-2

D30 2-3

D23 3-1

J02 4-0

F17 4-2

m04 2-3

D09 5-2

M16 3-3

a03 2-1

N11 2-0

Ayr United

D30 2-1

a10 2-0

a27 1-0

N18 3-2

m11 4-4

a24 2-2

a13 2-3

021 0-1

a20 0-1

D02 7-0

J01 2-1

F10 1-2

N04 0-2

D16 2-3

M23 2-4

Celtic

a20 4-2

a23 3-1

J13 1-3

a09 4-1

M23 4-0

021 3-4

N18 1-1

F10 0-3

D30 2-2

M09 1-1

N04 0-3

a13 4-4

a06 1-2

D02 2-1

D16 1-2

Clyde

a02 2-0

J06 5-0

F17 1-1

028 2-0

N11 3-3

M30 5-3

a27 1-2

a30 0-3

N25 8-2

a06 2-2

D23 2-2

M16 1-1

D09 0-1

a16 3-1

M25 4-0

Dumbarton

m04 0-1

N04 4-1

D09 2-1

D23 1-5

F10 1-2

N18 1-2

a10 2-2

J01 3-2

M16 0-1

M30 0-0

a13 1-3

021 1-3

a24 2-3

J06 3-2

a27 3-1

Hamilton Academical

028 5-0

J13 2-1

M27 4-2

a03 5-0

D30 3-2

F17 4-2

a20 0-0

M16 2-2

a06 2-3

N11 6-4

D09 3-6

m03 3-1

D23 2-0

J02 3-4

a17 4-0

Kilmarnock

m25 1-5

M30 6-2

J02 3-1

F17 3-2

J13 1-2

028 5-0

J06 1-4

D09 4-2

N11 1-1

N25 5-2

M16 1-3

D23 2-1

m15 3-1

a06 3-1

a02 1-2

Morton

J02 2-1

M23 2-3

a03 4-1

N11 1-1

D02 2-1

a06 5-0

D16 1-2

m11 2-0

028 3-3

a13 3-0

a20 4-0

J13 2-2

D30 3-0

N25 3-2

F17 3-2

Motherwell

a27 0-2

ml8 2-1

J06 3-3

M30 2-0

a24 1-1

D16 5-1

J01 1-1

F10 2-1

m25 2-1

m15 6-1

N18 2-1

N04 4-1

O21 0-1

m11 1-4

D06 6-2

Partick Thistle

M16 3-2

N18 0-1

m01 2-0

D09 4-2

J01 3-2

D30 0-4

F10 1-1

a24 5-2

N04 1-0

D23 1-3

O21 2-2

a10 6-0

m25 1-3

m18 3-1

a20 4-1

Queen of the South

N11 4-2

D02 4-2

a06 3-0

a17 1-3

m18 2-2

J02 3-1

m11 3-2

D16 4-2

J06 3-0

M27 4-1

M23 4-1

M09 4-2

J13 1-2

O28 1-1

N25 6-3

Queen’s Park

N25 1-2

m07

1-3

N11 5-4

M25 1-4

D16 1-1

a02 4-1

D02 3-2

m18 0-1

a27 3-3

al6 2-2

028 4-3

D30 1-2

a20 2-3

F17 1-3

J01 4-2

Rangers

F17 3-1

D16 2-1

a17 3-1

J01 1-1

m08 3-1

N25 2-1

m18 2-2

D02 4-1

M30 1-0

J20 1-2

M25 2-2

a27 5-1

J06 4-0

N11 4-0

O28 6-0

St Mirren

D23 3-2

021

1-2

M16 2-0

m04 2-1

N04 1-1

a20 1-2

a13 2-1

J01 3-3

a23 0-3

D09 1-3

a27 3-1

a09 1-1

N18 3-0

F10 4-6

D30 5-3

Third Lanark

D09 1-4

F10 2-2

D23 1-1

M16 4-2

a12 2-4

M27 3-2

N04 1-1

021 3-2

N18 3-1

m01 1-1

J06 2-0

a24 1-1

a06 3-0

a22 0-1

M30 2-1

	Western Division	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1	Rangers	30	22	4	7	72	36	48
2	Queen of the South	30	17	6	7	77	55	40
3	Hamilton Academicals	30	15	8	7	78	55	38
4	Motherwell	30	15	8	11	64	56	38
5	Morton	30	14	5	13	64	46	33
6	Albion Rovers	30	15	2	10	62	60	32
7	Clyde	30	11	9	12	68	51	31
8	Kilmarnock	30	13	5	14	63	63	31
9	Airdrieonians	30	14	2	14	63	61	30
10	Partick Thistle	30	10	6	15	57	74	26
11	St Mirren	30	11	4	15	59	66	26
12	Third Lanark	30	10	5	15	53	78	25
13	Celtic	30	9	6	16	55	61	24
14	Queen's Park	30	7	7	18	55	82	21
15	Ayr United	30	7	5	19	50	66	19
16	Dumbarton	30	7	4	0	48	78	18

Eastern Division

Aber

Alloa

Arb

Cow

Dund

Dunf

Falk

Hea

Hib

StB

StJ

Sten

Aberdeen

J27 3-1

a06 5-2

J13 8-1

M30 3-0

a24 3-1

F10 3-0

a20 2-2

J02 6-2

M16 3-0

N04 3-3

M09 5-2

021 5-1

N18 3-3

D23 5-1

D02 6-1

Alloa

028 0-3

a27 1-1

N25 2-1

M09 2-2

D30 2-1

M16 2-3

F17 3-1

J06 0-2

N11 2-3

M23 2-3

al3 1-3

D09 3-1

D02 5-0

a02 4-1

J01 3-1

Arbroath

J01 2-1

J13 1-1

N11 0-6

F17 3-1

a26 5-2

M23 1-3

028 2-2

M30 1-2

al3 2-2

D16 0-0

a03 5-2

m04 0-2

D09 0-4

a17 1-2

N25 2-1

Cowdenbeath

J06 1-1

N04 4-2

D23 2-3

J02 0-4

D02 5-2

N18 5-3

021 4-0

Dundee

D30 3-1

N04 1-1

N18 9-3

a06 2-1

a08 2-2

J13 2-0

m18 4-2

D09 4-6

021 2-1

D16 5-0

F10 2-3

J02 2-2

m04 7-2

a17 7-1

Dundee United

N25 3-5

M30 5-0

J06 4-2

J01 2-1

D02 5-2

m25 3-2

a27 1-3

F17 3-2

m11 1-3

028 1-0

D23 1-1

M16 1-0

N11 2-2

a03 10-2

Dunfermline Athletic

N11 4-3

D16 2-4

D23 4-0

J01 3-0

028 2-0

m18 2-0

a03 6-4

D09 4-3

N25 5-2

J13 2-1

a17 2-0

M30 3-4

a20 3-1

F17 2-3

a13 4-2

East Fife

J06 1-4

N18 2-3

a10 6-2

D30 2-4

a27 3-0

J02 3-6

021 1-8

N04 2-5

m04 1-2

a13 4-3

M23 6-1

a06 3-2

F10 2-1

D09 4-4

D16 9-3

Falkirk

a13 0-1

a20 2-1

D30 3-0

028 9-0

N25 6-1

J13 4-2

m06 0-0

a17 3-0

a03 7-1

D02 3-3

N11 5-2

D16 5-0

M23 8-1

J01 4-0

F17 4-1

Heart of Midlothian

D16 3-2

F10 7-2

J02 7-2

m11 2-3

N18 9-2

m25 2-0

D02 6-3

021 2-3

a06 4-0

a20 7-2

a10 4-3

N04 2-2

J13 3-0

D30 8-2

Hibernian

m18 2-0

D23 3-0

M16 2-4

a03 6-0

D09 6-2

a27 2-3

N25 2-5

m04 5-6

J01 5-6

F17 2-1

J06 4-1

M30 3-1

028 3-3

N11 1-2

King’s Park

D09 2-1

J02 1-2

021 5-3

M16 3-3

a08 2-1

N04 2-3

D23 2-3

F10 1-1

J06 2-2

N18 2-7

a24 5-6

M27 4-1

M30 5-2

J13 1-1

Raith Rovers

a01 4-1

m01 1-3

D02 6-0

N11 2-1

m08 5-0

D30 0-3

J01 2-5

M16 2-2

028 1-5

a20 1-1

N25 1-2

J13 6-0

a13 3-4

M23 5-2

St Bernards

F17 3-1

m04 2-0

M09 2-0

a13 0-0

D16 4-2

m14 1-3

N11 2-1

D23 1-2

a15 0-2

D30 1-6

A06 3-4

a27 1-0

N25 1-1

028 6-2

St Johnstone

M23 3-0

021 2-3

N04 4-0

D16 3-0

D02 2-2

F10 1-3

N18 4-2

M09 8-1

a06 2-2

a27 2-2

a10 4-0

D30 2-1

J02 10-3

a24 6-1

a20 3-2

Stenhousemuir

m04 0-0

a06 2-3

a24 2-0

D09 2-5

D23 0-3

021 0-1

J02 3-0

M16 0-2

N18 3-8

M30 1-0

M27 2-1

a27 2-3

N04 5-0

a10 4-0

J06 3-3

	Eastern Division	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1	Falkirk	29	20	5	4	106	47	45
2	Dunfermline Athletic	29	19	2	8	80	55	40
3	Heart of Midlothian	29	18	4	7	104	66	40
4	Aberdeen	29	16	4	9	86	50	36
5	St Johnstone	29	13	8	8	84	69	34
6	Alloa Athletic	29	13	4	12	56	60	30
7	Dundee	29	11	8	10	70	62	30
8	Hibernian	29	12	5	12	82	65	29
9	Dundee United	29	12	2	15	68	77	26
10	East Fife	29	11	3	15	80	91	25
11	Raith Rovers	29	10	3	16	69	85	23
12	King's Park	29	9	4	16	62	88	22
13	St Bernards	29	8	5	16	44	77	21
14	Arbroath	29	6	5	18	44	91	17
15	Stenhousemuir	29	7	3	19	52	98	17
16	Cowdenbeath	15	7	1	7	38	44	15	*
*Cowdenbeath resigned after completing half of their fixtures, on 6 January 1940.

Play off (1 June 1940, at Hampden Park, Glasgow)

W

Pts

W

Pts