For other uses, see Central League (disambiguation).

The Central Junior Football League was a football league competition operated under the Scottish Junior Football Association between 1931 and 2002, with an expansion of its membership in 1968.[1][2]

Covering the Greater Glasgow area and also including teams in Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire from the outset, the Central league was created following the Intermediate dispute raised in 1927 by many of the Junior teams in relation to compensation payments for their players moving to Scottish Football League clubs, which in that era was a very common route of progression into the top professional level (whereas towards the end of the 20th century the Senior clubs would typically develop young players within their own youth systems, with Junior squads usually consisting of players of various ages who had been deemed not quite good enough for the professional level, and moving up from Junior to Senior being more the exception than the norm as in the past). The dispute lasted four years, with none of the teams from the powerful Glasgow Junior Football League entering the Scottish Junior Cup and instead playing in separate competitions. In 1931 these teams returned to the SJFA and the Central league was created,[1] although notes from its 1932 AGM stated that it was the 32nd such meeting, suggesting that internally it was considered a continuation of the pre-1927 GJL.[3] The Scottish Intermediate Cup was retained but re-designated the West of Scotland Junior Cup which has survived to the present day.

The Central League continued to provide many finalists in the Scottish Junior Cup, although its membership was somewhat weakened in the 1960s when several teams who had been successful in the GJL era (primarily Parkhead, Strathclyde and Shawfield) folded, due in part to changes of the urban environment in which they had drawn their support, with traditional communities being rebuilt and many residents rehomed in new peripheral estates or new towns outside the city. Clydebank also left to become a senior club.

A reorganisation of the Junior level across Scotland in 1968 resulted in the Lanarkshire Junior Football League, which had existed since 1891 but had never been as successful as the Glasgow and Central leagues which instead drew the best Lanarkshire teams away into their setup, was fully integrated into the new Central 'region', one of six in the country.[2] In that period, Cambuslang Rangers (coincidentally one of those members based in Lanarkshire but always affiliated with Glasgow leagues) were the strongest club, but their dominance faded after the mid-1970s.

From the 1968 merger until 1982, a three-division setup was in operation, organised on merit (i.e. a hierarchy with promotion and relegation between them, rather than three sections of equal prominence split geographically) but with an end-of-season playoff between the three divisional winners to determine the overall champion who claimed the Evening Times Trophy,[4][5] resulting in six of those fourteen seasons being won by the 'B Division' winners, and one – 1979–80 – in which the 'C Division' winners, Blantyre Victoria, were declared champions, although the format of the Evening Times Trophy had been amended to the Cup Winners' Cup a year earlier. In the next two seasons, Pollok then Lesmahagow were both overall champions and Evening Times Trophy winners before the playoffs were discontinued and the 1982–83 'A Division' winners were automatically declared the champions.[4][6] This system then remained in place until 2002,[2] when the Central region (in which Pollok had become the dominant force) was merged with the Ayrshire Junior Football League that had become increasingly strong in the 1990s in terms of supplying Scottish Junior Cup finalists, to form the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region, one of three large regions. At the end of the 2019–20 season – which was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic – all 63 West Region clubs left the SJFA setup to join a new West of Scotland Football League in the Senior pyramid,[7][8] bringing 125 years of Junior league football in the region (including the intermediate years) to an end.

Champions

1931–1968 era

Key:

Club also won the Scottish Junior Cup[9][10] (doubles in bold).
Club were also runners-up in the Scottish Junior Cup.[9][10]
Season[1]WinnerRunner-up[a]Other member in Scottish Cup final[9][10]
1931–32ShawfieldYoker AthleticGlasgow Perthshire
1932–33PetershillStrathclydeYoker Athletic
1933–34Rutherglen GlencairnYoker AthleticBenburb
1934–35Clydebank JuniorsRenfrewPetershill
1935–36Blantyre VictoriaMorton JuniorsYoker Athletic
1936–37ArthurlieShawfieldKirkintilloch Rob Roy
1937–38Morton JuniorsCambuslang RangersBenburb
1938–39PetershillCambuslang RangersRutherglen Glencairn
1939–40[11]PetershillStrathclydeMaryhill
1940–41Clydebank JuniorsBlantyre VictoriaGlasgow Perthshire
1941–42Clydebank JuniorsMaryhill HarpVale of Clyde
1942–43Rutherglen GlencairnBenburbKirkintilloch Rob Roy
1943–44St Roch'sClydebank JuniorsGlasgow Perthshire
1944–45Clydebank JuniorsPetershillCambuslang Rangers
1945–46ArthurlieBlantyre Celtic
1946–47Vale of LevenPetershillShawfield
1947–48Kilsyth RangersPollok
1948–49Blantyre CelticClydebank JuniorsPetershill
1949–50Clydebank JuniorsPetershillBlantyre Victoria
1950–51Duntocher HibernianBenburbPetershill
1951–52PetershillBellshill Athletic
1952–53AshfieldClydebank JuniorsVale of Leven
1953–54Kilsyth RangersBenburb
1954–55AshfieldPetershillKilsyth Rangers
1955–56PetershillParkhead
1956–57Kilsyth RangersSt Roch's
1957–58Duntocher HibernianParkhead
1958–59Johnstone BurghAshfieldShettleston
1959–60Baillieston JuniorsShettlestonGreenock Juniors
1960–61Greenock JuniorsMaryhill HarpCambuslang Rangers
1961–62Kirkintilloch Rob RoyShettlestonRenfrew
1962–63Kirkintilloch Rob RoyShettleston
1963–64PetershillKirkintilloch Rob RoyCambuslang Rangers
1964–65Johnstone BurghShettlestonBaillieston Juniors
1965–66Greenock JuniorsCambuslang Rangers
1966–67Rutherglen GlencairnCambuslang RangersKilsyth Rangers
1967–68Johnstone BurghPetershill

1968–2002 era

Key:

Club also won the Scottish Junior Cup[10] (doubles in bold).
Club were also runners-up in the Scottish Junior Cup.[10]
Season[2]WinnerRunner-up[a]Other member in Scottish Cup final[10]
1968–69[b]Petershill[c]Pollok[d]Cambuslang Rangers
1969–70Vale of Leven[e]Renfrew[d]Blantyre Victoria
1970–71Cambuslang Rangers[f]Cumbernauld United[g]
1971–72Cambuslang Rangers[h]St Roch's[i]
1972–73Cambuslang Rangers[h]St Roch's[j]
1973–74Cambuslang Rangers[h]Maryhill[j]
1974–75East Kilbride Thistle[k]Larkhall Thistle[l]Rutherglen Glencairn
1975–76East Kilbride Thistle[k]Port Glasgow[m]
1976–77Glasgow Perthshire[n]Shettleston[o]Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
1977–78Cumbernauld United[p]Lesmahagow[o]Stonehouse Violet
1978–79Pollok[q]Port Glasgow[r]
1979–80Blantyre Victoria[s]East Kilbride Thistle[t]Baillieston Juniors
1980–81Pollok[u]Blantyre Victoria[j]Arthurlie
1981–82Lesmahagow[s]East Kilbride Thistle[v]Blantyre Victoria
1982–83PetershillBaillieston JuniorsEast Kilbride Thistle
1983–84PetershillPollokBaillieston Juniors
1984–85PollokYoker AthleticPetershill
1985–86PollokKilsyth Rangers
1986–87PollokBaillieston Juniors
1987–88ArthurlieKilsyth RangersPetershill
1988–89ArthurliePollok
1989–90PetershillPollokLesmahagow
1990–91PollokArthurlie
1991–92LesmahagowPetershill
1992–93PetershillPollok
1993–94ArthurlieLesmahagow
1994–95PollokArthurlie
1995–96PollokPetershill
1996–97MaryhillPollok
1997–98Shotts Bon AccordMaryhillArthurlie
1998–99MaryhillPollok
1999–2000BenburbPollokJohnstone Burgh
2000–01ArthurlieBenburbRenfrew
2001–02Johnstone BurghLarkhall Thistle

Notes

  1. ^ In some seasons, this was the losing finalist in a playoff between two section winners.
  2. ^ Denotes overall champion (Evening Times Trophy winner) and losing finalist after playoffs involving A, B and C Division winners.
  3. ^ Petershill were also A Division winners.
  4. ^ Shotts Bon Accord were A Division runners-up.
  5. ^ Renfrew were A Division winners.
  6. ^ Cumbernauld United were A Division winners.
  7. ^ Petershill were A Division runners-up.
  8. ^ Cambuslang Rangers were also A Division winners.
  9. ^ Pollok were A Division runners-up.
  10. ^ East Kilbride Thistle were A Division runners-up.
  11. ^ East Kilbride Thistle were also A Division winners.
  12. ^ Johnstone Burgh were A Division runners-up.
  13. ^ Shettleston were A Division runners-up.
  14. ^ Shettleston were A Division winners.
  15. ^ Kirkintilloch Rob Roy were A Division runners-up.
  16. ^ Lesmahagow were A Division winners.
  17. ^ Port Glasgow were A Division winners.
  18. ^ Renfrew were A Division runners-up.
  19. ^ East Kilbride Thistle were A Division winners.
  20. ^ Glasgow Perthshire were A Division runners-up.
  21. ^ Pollok were also A Division winners.
  22. ^ Larkhall Thistle were A Division runners-up.
  23. ^ Were 'Division A' winners on 1 additional occasion between 1969 and 1982, but did not win champions playoff final so instead recorded as runner-up.
  24. ^ Were 'Division A' runners-up on 1 additional occasion between 1969 and 1982, but not involved in champions playoffs.
  25. ^ Were 'Division A' winners on 2 additional occasions between 1969 and 1982, but did not win champions playoff final so instead recorded as runner-up.
  26. ^ Were 'Division A' runners-up on 3 additional occasions between 1969 and 1982, but not involved in champions playoffs.
  27. ^ Were 'Division A' runners-up on 2 additional occasions between 1969 and 1982, but not involved in champions playoffs.

List of winners

Club[1][2]1931–1968 era1968–2002 eraOverall
WinR-upFirst winLast winWinR-upFirst winLast winWinR-up
Petershill651932–331963–645[w]2[x]1968–691992–9311[w]7[x]
Pollok01N/A8[w]8[x]1978–791994–958[w]8[x]
Arthurlie201936–371945–46421987–882000–0162
Clydebank Juniors531934–351949–5000N/A53
Cambuslang Rangers04N/A401970–711973–7444
Johnstone Burgh301958–591967–6810[x]2001–0240[x]
Kilsyth Rangers301947–481956–5702N/A32
Rutherglen Glencairn301933–341966–6700N/A30
East Kilbride Thistle00N/A2[y]2[z]1974–751975–762[y]2[z]
Maryhill00N/A221996–971998–9922
Lesmahagow00N/A2[w]21981–821991–922[w]2
Blantyre Victoria111935–36111979–8022
Ashfield211952–531954–5500N/A21
Kirkintilloch Rob Roy211961–621962–6300[aa]N/A21[aa]
Vale of Leven101946–47101969–7020
Greenock Juniors201960–611965–6600N/A20
Duntocher Hibernian201950–511957–5800N/A20
Benburb03N/A111999–200014
St Roch's111943–4402N/A13
Baillieston Juniors101959–6002N/A12
Cumbernauld United00N/A1[w]11977–781[w]1
Blantyre Celtic111948–4900N/A11
Morton Juniors111937–3800N/A11
Shawfield111931–3200N/A11
Shotts Bon Accord00N/A10[aa]1997–9810[aa]
Glasgow Perthshire00N/A10[x]1976–7710[x]
Shettleston04N/A0[w]1[x]N/A0[w]5[x]
Yoker Athletic02N/A01N/A03
Renfrew01N/A0[w]1[x]N/A0[w]2[x]
Larkhall Thistle00N/A02[x]N/A02[x]
Port Glasgow00N/A0[w]2N/A0[w]2
Strathclyde02N/A00N/A02
Maryhill Harp02N/A00N/A02
Bellshill Athletic01N/A00N/A01

Notes

References

  1. ^ Central Junior League: Including the Scottish Central Junior League, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 4 September 2020
  2. ^ Central Region Junior League, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 4 September 2020
  3. ^ Glasgow Junior League, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 27 August 2020
  4. ^ Evening Times Competitions Archived 2 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, AntsHistory
  5. ^ History, Cumbernauld United F.C.
  6. ^ Evening Times Trophy, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 21 April 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021
  7. ^ Pyramid Update – 67 Applications Approved, Scottish Lowland Football League, 14 April 2020
  8. ^ Junior clubs in the west are about to get the best of both worlds, The Scotsman, 19 April 2020
  9. ^ "Scottish Junior Cup > Finals 1886 to 1956". Scottish Football Association (archive version, 2018). Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Scottish Junior Cup > Finals 1957 - Present [2009]". Scottish Football Association (archive version, 2018). Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  11. ^ Petershill FC, 1940 (Glasgow Caledonian University, Research Collections, Kevin Morrison Collection, The Glasgow Story