Season for double-digit cup shocks

TRADITIONALLY, the months of January and February saw the Scottish Cup draw occasionally pair top teams with lower or even non-league sides.

Some of these matches resulted in big wins with many of them in double digits.

The matches involved were – Brechin 12, Thornhill 1 (1926); Cowdenbeath 12, Johnstone 0 (1928) ; Dundee Utd 14, Nithsdale 0 (1931); Hearts 15, King’s Park 0 (1937); Kilmarnock 11 Paisley Acas 1 (1930); Montrose 12, Vale of Leithen 0 (1975) ; Partick Thistle 16, Royal Albert 0 (1931); Queen of the South 11, Stranraer 1 (1932); Raith 10, Coldstream 1 (1954); Rangers 14, Blairgowrie 2 (1934); Ross County 11, St Cuthbert Wanderers 0 (1993); Stirling Albion 20, Selkirk 0 (1984).

I intentionally left out two sides that also had big wins but there were unusual circumstances involving some personnel.

On January 30, 1960, in a Scottish Cup first-round tie, St Mirren beat Glasgow University at Love Street 15-0 – with centre-forward Gerry Baker scoring 10 of them before going off injured. Gerry would go on to pick up seven caps for the United States in 1968 and 1969.

Just over a year later, on February 11, 1961, in a second-round tie at Easter Road,

Saints beat Glasgow Uni 15-0 with Baker scoring 10 – brother Joe scored nine when Hibs beat Peebles 15-1

Hibs beat Peebles Rovers 15-1. Almost unbelievably, Gerry’s brother Joe scored nine of the goals. Joe would be capped nine times for England between 1959 and 1966.

The biggest score in Scottish football was another first-round Scottish Cup tie, on September 12, 1885, when Arbroath beat Bon Accord 36-0 with centre-forward John Petrie knocking in 13.

But was that the biggest score? On the same day, Dundee Harp beat Aberdeen Rovers 35-0, with the referee stating afterwards he’d found it difficult to keep track of the avalanche of goals.

Could he have made a mistake in recording the figures – meaning the highscoring record should be held by the Dundee side? We will never know.

Last week, an article in one of the national dailies was critical of Scottish football, stating only two teams up here were of any merit. That stuff makes us all bristle – but look at the stats.

The last time a team other than the Old Firm won the league championship was Aberdeen in 1984-85. In that same period in England, nine teams – Everton, Blackburn, Leeds, Chelsea, Man United, Man City, Leicester, Arsenal and Liverpool – won their major league trophy. The author of that article might have a point.