That Rangers won the first our our non-tainted Championships! Overview Dumbarton and Rangers were declared joint champions after drawing a play-off game 2â2 at Cathkin Park, Glasgow on May 21, 1891. Renton started the season as members of the Scottish Football League, but were expelled for professionalism (the game was still officially amateur at this stage). Also, Celtic, Third Lanark and Cowlairs were all deducted four points for fielding ineligible players. May 21st 1891 Scottish League Championship Play Off Dumbarton 2-2 Rangers Dumbarton: McLeod, Watson, A Miller, McMillan, Boyle, Keir, Taylor, Galbraith, J Miller, McNaught, Bell Rangers: Reid, Gow, Hodge, Marshall, A McCreadie, Mitchell, Henderson, H McCreadie, Kerr, McPherson, Hislop The referee was Mr J Marshall of the Third Lanark club. The match was played on a Thursday evening and there was a large crowd estimated at 10,000 as it was a public holiday to mark Queen Victoria's birthday Goal times weren't recorded too precisely in those days. David Hislop scored for Rangers in the first minute. Hugh McCreadie also scored for Rangers in the first half. John Taylor scored for Dumbarton just after an hour's play and John Miller equalised. The teams discussed whether or not to play thirty minutes extra time but decided not to. Later, the Scottish League decided not to order another match and awarded the title to be shared by both sides. This was the first ever Scottish League Championship. Rangers had met Dumbarton earlier in the season, in only the third League match, at Boghead Park back on September 13, and were well beaten (1-5). This coming a week after Celtic had knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup (0-1), in front of 16,000 fans at Celtic Park. Rangers would recover from this setback, and went unbeaten in their next 12 League games (9 Wins 3 Draws), before they got the chance to seek revenge in the return League match at Old Ibrox Park on April 25th. Two weeks earlier, Dumbarton had suffered their first Legue defeat of the season, losing 0-1 at Celtic Park.(whilst Rangers were down in England playing a couple of Friendlies). Dumbarton recovered quickly with a 4-0 win at Tynecastle on the Monday. So Rangers went into the Dumbarton game trailing by two points, but with a game in hand. Rangers ran out 4-2 winners on the day, to go level on points, with only two games to play, needing only three from four points, to secure the first ever Scottish Championship. The following week we had Celtic at home, and tragically Rangers lost 1-2, as Dumbarton ran out 4-2 winners v St Mirren at Greenhill Rd. This meant Dumbarton had completed their season with 29 points, leaving Rangers on 27 points, with Rangers having one game to play at home to Third Lanark the following week, needing a win to force a Play Off for the Championship. Rangers would make three changes from the side that lost to Celtic the previous week, with John Muir replacing William Hodge at left back, James 'Tuck' McIntyre replacing Andrew McCreadie at centre half, and the most bizarre of changes, in the front line with Alick (Archiebald) McKenzie replacing Willy White. Bizarre that McKenzie had made only two appearances that season, and both of them were as a GOALKEEPER. Rangers would go on to win 4-1 with McKenzie notching a Hat Trick, and one from David Hislop. The line up that day was: Reid, Gow, Muir, Marshall, McIntyre, Mitchell, McKenzie, Henderson, Kerr, McPherson and Hislop.
Harry was there and says they were not ineligible , they were trialists and he knew them all personally.
It's a tainted title because Dumbarton had a better goal difference and should have won it outright http://www.statto.com/football/teams/rangers/1890-1891/table
7 years ago today this happened [video=youtube;VK1KdQ9IFbw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK1KdQ9IFbw[/video] what a day that was
I'll let you know why, every Rangers player that day (including the Subs) were on an EBT. How sweet it will be when that one in particular is stripped off Rangers and handed retrospectively to Celtic.
actually when they first started counting goals for and against they used goal AVERAGE and not goal difference. so dumbarton would still have won with an average of 2.90 against rangers average of 2.32
