# 1880–81 Scottish Cup

The 1880–81 Scottish Cup – officially the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup – was the eighth season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. Defending champions Queen's Park retained the cup and won the competition for the fifth time after they beat Dumbarton 3–1 in a replayed final which saw Dr John Smith score the first Scottish Cup final hat-trick on 9 April 1881.

## Calendar

As with the previous competitions, the eighth edition of the Scottish Cup took on the format of a traditional knockout tournament. For the earlier rounds, the names of competing teams were placed into lots according to their districts and drawn into pairs. The home team for each tie was determined by the toss of a coin unless it was mutually agreed or only one of the two clubs drawn against one another had a private ground. In the event of a draw, the team who lost the toss would have the choice of ground for the replay. A similar procedure was used for subsequent rounds, except that any club which had received a bye in the previous round would first be drawn against one of the winners of the previous round. The names of winning teams were placed into one lot for later rounds. The choice of venue for the final matches was reserved to the Scottish Football Association.
| Round | First match date | Fixtures | Fixtures | Fixtures | Clubs |
| Round | First match date | Original | Byes | Replays | Clubs |
| First Round | 4 September 1880 | 65 | 6 | 3 | 136 → 71 |
| Second Round | 2 October 1880 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 71 → 38 |
| Third Round | 23 October 1880 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 38 → 21 |
| Fourth Round | 13 November 1880 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 21 → 11 |
| Fifth Round | 4 December 1880 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 → 6 |
| Quarter-finals | 25 December 1880 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 → 3 |
| Semi-finals | 5 February 1881 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 → 2 |
| Final | 26 March 1881 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
* Both Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities were given byes to the third round.

## Teams

All 136 teams entered the competition in the first round.
| Ayrshire | Glasgow and Suburbs | Glasgow and Suburbs | Lanarkshire | Renfrewshire |
| Auchinleck Boswell Ayr Ayr Thistle Beith Catrine Coylton Coila Cumnock Dean Girvan Hurlford Irvine Kilbirnie Kilmarnock Kilmarnock Athletic Kilmarnock Portland Lanemark Mauchline Maybole Rankinston Stewarton Cunninghame | Ailsa Alexandra Athletic Athole Caledonian City Clyde Clydesdale Cowlairs Dennistoun Glasgow University Govan Harmonic High School Ingram John Elder Jordanhill Kelvinbank Lancefield | Maxwell Northern Oxford Partick Partick Thistle Petershill Pilgrims Pollokshields Athletic Possil Bluebell Possilpark Queen's Park Rangers Shawlands Athletic South Western Whitefield Windsor 3rd Lanark RV 19th Lanark RV | Airdrie Airdrie Bluebell Airdriehill Bellshill Cambuslang Clarkston Drumpellier Excelsior Glengowan Hamilton Academical Lanark Plains Blue Bell Royal Albert Shotts Stonelaw Thistle Tollcross Athletic Uddingston Upper Clydesdale | Abercorn Arthurlie Barrhead Cartside Cartvale Glenkilloch Johnstone Johnstone Athletic Johnstone Rovers Kennishead Levern Morton Netherlee Oakfield Pollok Renfrew Renfrew Ramblers St Mirren Thornliebank Wellington Park Yoker 17th Renfrew RV |
| Dunbartonshire | Edinburghshire and Fifeshire | Perthshire and Forfarshire | Stirlingshire | Wigtownshire and Dumfriesshire |
| Alclutha Dumbarton Helensburgh Jamestown Kilmaronock Thistle Kirkintilloch Athletic Lennox Renton Star of Leven Vale of Leven Victoria | Brunswick Dunfermline Edinburgh University Hanover Heart of Midlothian Hibernian | Arbroath Coupar Angus Dunkeld Dundee Our Boys Rob Roy St Clement's Strathmore Vale of Teith | Bridge of Allan Campsie Athletic Central Falkirk Grasshoppers King's Park Lenzie Milton of Campsie Strathblane Thistle Athletic | Cree Rovers Queen of the South Wanderers Stranraer 5th Kirkcudbrightshire RV |

### Notes

* ^ I-There is no record of a club called Airdrie Bluebell that existed in the 1880s. It is believed it was erroneously included in the hat alongside a number of clubs which had disbanded before the first round draw as a result of confusion with Plains Blue Bell - the latter club had been referred to as an Airdrie side in the 1879–80 Minute Book.

## First round
### Matches
#### Glasgow and Suburbs

Possil Bluebell received a bye to the second round. Glasgow University received a bye to the third round.

#### Lanarkshire district

Glengowan received a bye to the second round.

#### Dunbartonshire district

Vale of Leven received a bye to the second round.

#### Edinburghshire and Fifeshire

Hibernian received a bye to the second round. Edinburgh University received a bye to the third round.

#### Wigtownshire and Dumfriesshire district
### Replays
#### Dunbartonshire district
##### Notes

* ^ A-Replays were ordered for both the Lennox–Dumbarton and Athole–Whitefield ties after the original match was declared null and void owing to an irregularity in the appointment of a referee.
* ^ B-A protest from Maybole that the ground was not "roped in" was upheld and a replay was ordered.
Sources:

## Second round
### Matches
#### Renfrewshire district

Cartside received a bye to the third round.

#### Stirlingshire district

Lenzie received a bye to the third round.

#### Edinburgh district

Heart of Midlothian received a bye to the third round.

#### Kirkcudbrughtshire and Wigtownshire district
### Replays
#### Stirlingshire district
##### Notes

* ^ C-Abandoned after 55 minutes when Kilmarnock Athletic left the field in protest at a disallowed goal. The match was declared null and void and a replay was ordered.
Sources:

## Third round
### Matches
#### Glasgow and Suburbs

Glasgow University and South Western received a bye to the fourth round.

#### Lanarkshire district

Clarkston received a bye to the fourth round.

#### Perthshire, Forfarshire and Edinburgh district

Edinburgh University received a bye to the fourth round.

### Second replays
#### Renfrewshire district
#### Ayrshire and Kirkcudbrightshire district
##### Notes

* ^ D-A protest by Alexandra Athletic that Cowlairs had fielded an ineligible player was upheld and a replay was ordered.
* ^ E-Match declared as a draw following a protest by Yoker and a replay was ordered.
* ^ F-A protest by Kilmarnock was upheld and a replay was ordered.
* ^ G-Abandoned after 60 minutes due to darkness.
Sources:

## Fourth round

Thistle received a bye to the fifth round.

### Replay
#### Notes

* ^ H-A protest by South Western was upheld and a replay was ordered.
Sources:

## Fifth round

Central received a bye to the quarter-finals.

### Matches

Sources:

## Quarter-finals
### Matches

Sources:

## Semi-finals

Queen's Park received a bye to the final.

### Match

Sources: