Jump to content

William Hill Scottish Cup


Craigyboy

Recommended Posts

Why not expand the competition and allow at least all EoS/SoS members in?

There are only 2 ways of entering at the moment - being an SFA member or qualifying. New clubs can only become members by meeting criteria which apply to licensing, in effect, as the criteria are now the same.

If anything you may well see the entry dip slightly in the short-term future: as the SFA hierarchy seem to desire to get rid of unlicensed members, and perhaps the qualifiers. They tried to do that at last year's AGM without success... In the longer-term I imagine the numbers will rise gradually, as more and more non-members reach the licensing standards.

There is a fairness issue around unlicensed members participating. These clubs joined decades ago when criteria were lax, but today often have worse facilities than many non-members who are still some way off licensing.

How many ties are in the prelim rounds ?

When were they played this season 2014-15 ?

and what teams were in the prelims ? i could of swore bo'ness were in it.

Impossible to say due to lack of info on who has got licensed... Clubs that are licensed are exempt from the preliminaries - and the more licensed clubs the fewer remaining slots in R1 and therefore the more preliminary ties and potentially rounds. As things stand my guess is you are looking at (qualifiers marked ^):

EOSL - Lothian THV^, Civil Service, Burntisland, Hawick

SOSL - Newton Stewart, St Cuthbert, Wigtown

NCL - Golspie

Juniors - Auchinleck^, Kelty^, Hermes^, Girvan

Amateurs - Harestanes^, Glasgow Uni

+ any unlicensed HL/LL

I haven't included Coldstream as the local paper reports they've got their licence, and similarly Linlithgow and Banks o'Dee.

That could apply to others in the list which aren't known/haven't happened yet.

In 2012-13 there was one preliminary round - August 4th. Same last season - August 16th. HL fixturelists includes mention of September 5th next season followed by R1 on September 26th but simple examination of the numbers suggests there might have to be more than one preliminary round.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 201
  • Created
  • Last Reply

for those wondering Hermes are a Junior club who play in the north of Aberdeen, almost adjacent to Hall Russell United's ground. They have a small dressing room complex and unusually for the Juniors a set of the Devil's Illuminations :o

Hermes v Spartans would be a "classic" match!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to clarify South position at least.Wigtown Newton Stewart And Saint Cuthbert Wanderers qualify by right of being full SFA members as did Dalbeattie and Threave when in the South League.For one season Crichton were allowed in by virtue of winning the SOS league.As far as I am aware this concession was withdrawn in later years but has now been reinstated officially.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For one season Crichton were allowed in by virtue of winning the SOS league. As far as I am aware this concession was withdrawn in later years but has now been reinstated officially.

It has happened frequently since 2007, especially since 2011.

My guess is someone in the SFA press department didn't realise this, or confused a rule tidying-up exercise with the granting of a new right.

My paper today also seems to think it's a 'new thing'.

Having checked, it occurred:

2008 - Crichton

2012 - Stirling Uni

2014 - Lothian Thistle HV

2015 - Lothian Thistle HV

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...and unusually for the Juniors a set of the Devil's Illuminations :o

The north region have no issue with playing under floodlights as far as I am aware. The reluctance to use them is more of a central belt thing, and is related to smaller clubs being concerned that the larger clubs that can afford them would gain an unfair advantage by being able to clear fixture backlogs more easily, rather than any Luddite concerns about the ill effects of playing under artificial luminescence.

Just to clarify South position at least.Wigtown Newton Stewart And Saint Cuthbert Wanderers qualify by right of being full SFA members as did Dalbeattie and Threave when in the South League.For one season Crichton were allowed in by virtue of winning the SOS league.As far as I am aware this concession was withdrawn in later years but has now been reinstated officially.

If this extension to EoS and SoS thing is legit, maybe they messed up an amendment last year when the SFA board were trying to axe all of the qualifiers and were left with a botched wording that only let the four (or three when there is a double winner) junior qualifiers in from 2015/16 onwards?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Such a mixed bag of potential opponents awaits.

IMO:

Ideal draws - bye; Golspie Sutherland; Hawick RA

Good draws - Girvan; St Cuthbert Wands; Burntisland Shipyard;

Decent draws - Newton Stewart; Wigtown & Bladnoch; Civil SS

Poor draws - Harestanes AFC; Hermes; Lothian Thistle HV

Tough draws - Kelty Hearts; Auchinleck Talbot; Cove Rangers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would think it was more like this (the Saints seem to be the favourite to win the SOS this season):



Easy draws - bye, Golspie Sutherland; Hawick RA, Girvan



Good draws - Newton Stewart; Wigtown & Bladnoch; St Cuthbert Wands; Burntisland Shipyard;



Decent draws - Civil SS, Hermes; Harestanes AFC



Poor draws - Lothian Thistle HV; Kelty Hearts



Tough draws - Auchinleck Talbot; Cove Rangers


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fair enough, we're both on roughly the same page. Girvan took several utter thrashings last season but have apparently been restrengthening.

Incidentally an away draw at Kelty would actually be neutral venue (ground being rebuilt), and Harestanes could be (mightn't meet criteria).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First Preliminary Round

Civil Service Strollers v Newton Stewart

Harestanes AFC v Girvan

St Cuthbert Wanderers v Burntisland Shipyard

Golspie Sutherland v Cove Rangers

Wigtown & Bladnoch v Vale of Leithen

Second Preliminary Round

Civil Service / Newton Stewart v Kelty Hearts

Hermes v Auchinleck Talbot

Wigtown / Vale of Leithen v Hawick Royal Albert

Lothian Thistle HV v Harestanes / Girvan

Golspie / Cove v St Cuthbert / Burntisland

Decent enough draw for Vale... Wigtown are SOS League champions but if they can handle themselves away or at least bring it back to Innerleithen they've a good opportunity to make it through to R1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Bump.

Gone pretty much unmentioned over the rest of the forum but good luck to Vale of Leithen tomorrow as they embark on the first stage of their attempt to reach the Scottish Cup proper and make it a full complement of LL clubs. Challenging tie away to the SOSL champions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...