1888 Glasgow Exhibition Cup

The Exhibition Cup was a one-off football tournament contested in Glasgow, Scotland. Held to coincide with the International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry, this early season competition was won by Cowlairs, beating Celtic in the final.[1][2] The matches, played over the month of August 1888 with the final on 6 September, were staged at the University of Glasgow recreation grounds at Gilmorehill[3] (today occupied by various departments of the institution such as the Kelvin Building of Physics[4] and the Graham Kerr Building of Zoology),[5] close to the exhibition's main site at Kelvingrove.[2][6] While the tournament winners were awarded a handsome trophy, the runners up were presented with gold badges.[7]

1888 Glasgow Exhibition Cup
Tournament details
CountryScotland
Teams16
Final positions
ChampionsCeltic (1st title)
Runner-upCowlairs
Semifinalists
Tournament statistics
Matches played18

Although the Scottish Football League had yet to be formed, the Exhibition Cup could be considered something of a second-tier tournament, as none of the entrants had been a winner or finalist in the Scottish Cup in its first 15 years of existence. However the tournament has some historical significance for Celtic, as it was the first final the club played, having only formed a few months earlier, and their first ever defeat.[8] The result was seen as a surprise, as Celtic had assembled a strong team of experienced players, mostly with Irish connections, from Hibernian and Renton,[8] although Cowlairs also boosted their squad with guest players.[9] The two teams met again a few weeks later in the second round of the 1888–89 Scottish Cup, Celtic this time winning emphatically 8–0,[10] and went on to the final, losing to Third Lanark. Celtic also progressed to the final of the 1889 Glasgow North Eastern Cup, where they gained further revenge on Cowlairs by defeating them 6–1 to win their first trophy.[8][11]

Matches

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First round

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Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Abercorn 1–1 Celtic
Clyde ?[1] Northern
St Mirren 4–2 Dykebar
Dumbarton Athletic 2–1 Morton
Cowlairs 9–1 Thistle
Kilbirnie 1–1 Kilmarnock
Partick Thistle 5–2 Airdrieonians
Albion Rovers 4–3 East Stirlingshire

Replays

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Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Kilmarnock 0–1 Kilbirnie
Celtic ?[1] Abercorn

Quarter-finals

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Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Cowlairs 5–0 Clyde
Partick Thistle 2–1 Kilbirnie
St Mirren 1–1 Albion Rovers
Celtic 3–1 Dumbarton Athletic

Replays

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Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Albion Rovers 0–4 St Mirren

Semi-finals

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Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Celtic 1–0 Partick Thistle
Cowlairs 1–0 St Mirren

Final

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Cowlairs2–0Celtic
Report
University of Glasgow Recreation Grounds, Glasgow
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: J. N. Crerar
  1. ^ a b Guest player – Stewart from Queen's Park, McCall from Renton.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Glasgow Exhibition Trophy". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b International Exhibition, 1888: Site Plan, The Glasgow Story
  3. ^ International Exhibition, 1888: Bishop's Castle, The Glasgow Story
  4. ^ Kelvin Building, University of Glasgow
  5. ^ Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow
  6. ^ 1888-89 Glasgow Cup Shame, Partick Thistle - The Early Years, 2017
  7. ^ "FOOTBALL AT THE EXHIBITION". Airdrie Advertiser. 30 June 1888. (via) British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ a b c Celtic and Springburn – The first game, final, defeat and trophy, The Celtic Star, 21 March 2019
  9. ^ a b Famous Matches. | Exhibition Final, 1888. The Scottish Referee, 16 June 1902, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club
  10. ^ 1888-09-22: Celtic 8–0 Cowlairs, Scottish Cup, Match reports; via The Celtic Wiki
  11. ^ North Eastern Cup