# 1896–97 in Scottish football

The 1896–97 season of Scottish football was the 24th season of competitive football in Scotland and the seventh season of the Scottish Football League.

## League competitions
### Scottish Division One

Hearts were champions of the Scottish Division One.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Heart of Midlothian (C) | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 47 | 22 | +25 | 28 | |
| 2 | Hibernian | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 50 | 20 | +30 | 26 | |
| 3 | Rangers | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 64 | 30 | +34 | 25 | |
| 4 | Celtic | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 18 | +24 | 24 | |
| 5 | Dundee | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 22 | |
| 6 | St Mirren | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 38 | 29 | +9 | 19 | |
| 7 | St Bernard's | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 14 | |
| 8 | Third Lanark | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 11 | |
| 9 | Clyde | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 27 | 65 | −38 | 8 | |
| 10 | Abercorn (R) | 18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 21 | 88 | −67 | 3 | Relegated to the 1897–98 Scottish Division Two |

### Scottish Division Two

Partick Thistle won the Scottish Division Two. Both Linthouse and Port Glasgow Athletic had four points deducted.
| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Partick Thistle (C, P) | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 61 | 28 | +33 | 31 | Promoted to the 1897–98 Scottish First Division |
| 2 | Leith Athletic | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 27 | +28 | 27 | |
| 3 | Airdrieonians | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 49 | 39 | +10 | 21 | |
| 3 | Kilmarnock | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 21 | |
| 5 | Morton | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 16 | |
| 6 | Linthouse | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 14 | |
| 6 | Renton | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 14 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 13 | |
| 8 | Port Glasgow Athletic | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 13 | |
| 10 | Dumbarton (R) | 18 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 27 | 64 | −37 | 6 | Resigned |
* ↑ Linthouse were docked four points.
* ↑ Dumbarton resigned from the league at the end of the season.

## Other honours
### Cup honours
#### National

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Scottish Cup | Rangers | 5 – 1 | Dumbarton |
| Scottish Qualifying Cup | Kilmarnock | 4 – 1 | Motherwell |
| Scottish Junior Cup | Strathclyde | 2 – 0 | Dunfermline Juniors |

#### County

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Aberdeenshire Cup | Orion | 5 – 2 | Victoria United |
| Ayrshire Cup | Kilmarnock Athletic | 3 – 0 | Kilmarnock |
| Border Cup | Selkirk | 1 – 0 | Vale of Leithen |
| Dumbartonshire Cup | Vale of Leven | 3 – 2 | Dumbarton |
| East of Scotland Shield | St Bernard's | 3 – 2 | Cowdenbeath |
| Fife Cup | Dunfermline Athletic | 3 – 2 | Clackmannan |
| Forfarshire Cup | Arbroath | 5 – 2 | Forfar Athletic |
| Glasgow Cup | Rangers | 2 – 1 | Celtic |
| Lanarkshire Cup | Airdrie | 1 – 0 | Wishaw Thistle |
| Linlithgowshire Cup | Armadale Volunteers | 3 – 0 | Broxburn Shamrock |
| North of Scotland Cup | Inverness Caledonian | 2 – 1 | Clachnacuddin |
| Perthshire Cup | Vale of Atholl | 4 – 1 | Dunblane |
| Renfrewshire Cup | St Mirren | 1 – 0 | Port Glasgow Athletic |
| Southern Counties Cup | 6th GRV | 8 – 0 | St Cuthbert Wanderers |
| Stirlingshire Cup | East Stirlingshire | 4 – 1 | Stenhousemuir |

### Non-league honours

Highland League
Top three :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Clachnacuddin | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 9 |
| 2 | Inverness Caledonian | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 8 |
| 3 | Inverness Thistle | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 4 |
Other Senior Leagues
| Division | Winner |
| Ayrshire Combination | Ayr |
| Border League | Selkirk |
| Central League | Cowdenbeath |
| Midland League | Clackmannan |
| Northern League | Orion |
| Scottish Alliance | Third Lanark 'A' |
| Scottish Combination | Hearts 'A' |

## Scotland national team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 20 March 1897 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham (A) | Wales | 2–2 | BHC | John Ritchie, John Walker |
| 27 March 1897 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow | Ireland | 5–1 | BHC | John McPherson (2), Neil Gibson, Robert McColl, Alex King |
| 3 April 1897 | Crystal Palace, London | England | 2–1 | BHC | Tom Hyslop, James Millar |
Scotland were winners of the 1897 British Home Championship.
Key:
* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* BHC = British Home Championship
| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Scotland (C) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 5 |
| England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 4 |
| Ireland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 2 |
| Wales | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 1 |

## Other national teams
### Scottish League XI

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 30 January | Solitude, Belfast (A) | Irish League XI | 2–0 | Alex King (2) |
| 24 April | Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) | Football League XI | 3–0 | Tommy Low, John McPherson (2) |