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]

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

First round

Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Abercorn1–1Celtic
Clyde?[1]Northern
St Mirren4–2Dykebar
Dumbarton Athletic2–1Morton
Cowlairs9–1Thistle
Kilbirnie1–1Kilmarnock
Partick Thistle5–2Airdrieonians
Albion Rovers4–3East Stirlingshire

Replays

Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Kilmarnock0–1Kilbirnie
Celtic?[1]Abercorn

Quarter-finals

Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Cowlairs5–0Clyde
Partick Thistle2–1Kilbirnie
St Mirren1–1Albion Rovers
Celtic3–1Dumbarton Athletic

Replays

Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Albion Rovers0–4St Mirren

Semi-finals

Team 1 Aggregate Team 2
Celtic1–0Partick Thistle
Cowlairs1–0St Mirren

Final

Cowlairs Scotland2–0Scotland Celtic
Stewart 50'
Bishop 65'		 Report
University of Glasgow Recreation Grounds, Glasgow
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: J. N. Crerar
  1. 1 2 Guest player – Stewart from Queen's Park, McCall from Renton.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Glasgow Exhibition Trophy". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 Celtic and Springburn – The first game, final, defeat and trophy, The Celtic Star, 21 March 2019
  9. 1 2 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
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