# 1972–73 in Scottish football

The 1972–73 season was the 100th season of competitive football in Scotland and the 76th season of Scottish league football.

## Scottish League Division One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Celtic | 34 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 93 | 28 | +65 | 57 | Champion |
| 2 | Rangers | 34 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 74 | 30 | +44 | 56 | |
| 3 | Hibernian | 34 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 74 | 33 | +41 | 45 | |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 61 | 34 | +27 | 43 | |
| 5 | Dundee | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 68 | 43 | +25 | 43 | |
| 6 | Ayr United | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 40 | |
| 7 | Dundee United | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 39 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 31 | |
| 9 | East Fife | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 30 | |
| 10 | Heart of Midlothian | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 39 | 50 | −11 | 30 | |
| 11 | St Johnstone | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 52 | 67 | −15 | 29 | |
| 12 | Morton | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 47 | 53 | −6 | 28 | |
| 13 | Partick Thistle | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 28 | |
| 14 | Falkirk | 34 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 38 | 56 | −18 | 26 | |
| 15 | Arbroath | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 39 | 63 | −24 | 26 | |
| 16 | Dumbarton | 34 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 43 | 72 | −29 | 23 | |
| 17 | Kilmarnock | 34 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 40 | 71 | −31 | 22 | Relegated to 1973–74 Second Division |
| 18 | Airdrieonians | 34 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 34 | 75 | −41 | 16 | Relegated to 1973–74 Second Division |
Champions: Celtic
Relegated: Kilmarnock, Airdrieonians

## Scottish League Division Two

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Clyde | 36 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 68 | 28 | +40 | 56 | Promotion to the 1973–74 First Division |
| 2 | Dunfermline Athletic | 36 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 95 | 32 | +63 | 52 | Promotion to the 1973–74 First Division |
| 3 | Stirling Albion | 36 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 70 | 39 | +31 | 47 | |
| 4 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 73 | 42 | +31 | 47 | |
| 5 | St Mirren | 36 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 79 | 50 | +29 | 45 | |
| 6 | Montrose | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 82 | 58 | +24 | 44 | |
| 7 | Cowdenbeath | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 38 | |
| 8 | Hamilton Academical | 36 | 16 | 6 | 14 | 67 | 63 | +4 | 38 | |
| 9 | Berwick Rangers | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 45 | 54 | −9 | 37 | |
| 10 | Stenhousemuir | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 44 | 41 | +3 | 36 | |
| 11 | Queen of the South | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 34 | |
| 12 | Alloa Athletic | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 45 | 49 | −4 | 33 | |
| 13 | East Stirlingshire | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 52 | 69 | −17 | 32 | |
| 14 | Queen's Park | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 44 | 61 | −17 | 30 | |
| 15 | Stranraer | 36 | 13 | 4 | 19 | 56 | 78 | −22 | 30 | |
| 16 | Forfar Athletic | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 38 | 66 | −28 | 29 | |
| 17 | Clydebank | 36 | 9 | 6 | 21 | 48 | 72 | −24 | 24 | |
| 18 | Albion Rovers | 36 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 35 | 83 | −48 | 18 | |
| 19 | Brechin City | 36 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 46 | 99 | −53 | 14 | |
Promoted: Clyde, Dunfermline Athletic

## Cup honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Scottish Cup 1972–73 | Rangers | 3 – 2 | Celtic |
| League Cup 1972–73 | Hibernian | 2 – 1 | Celtic |
| Junior Cup | Irvine Meadow XI | 1 – 0 † | Cambuslang Rangers |
† – second replay

## Other honours
### National

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Scottish Qualifying Cup – North | Clachnacuddin | 3 – 1 * | Ross County |
| Scottish Qualifying Cup – South | Ferranti Thistle | 6 – 0 * | Civil Service Strollers |

### County

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Aberdeenshire Cup | Fraserburgh | | |
| Ayrshire Cup | Kilmarnock | 2 – 1 * | Ayr United |
| East of Scotland Shield | Hearts | 2 – 1 | Berwick Rangers |
| Fife Cup | Dunfermline Athletic | | |
| Forfarshire Cup | Montrose | 2 – 1 | Dundee United |
| Lanarkshire Cup | Motherwell | 4 – 1 | Airdrie |
| Renfrewshire Cup | Morton | 3 – 2 * | St Mirren |
| Stirlingshire Cup | Dumbarton | 6 – 0 | East Stirling |
$^*$ – aggregate over two legs

### Highland League

Top Three :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Inverness Thistle | 30 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 106 | 44 | +62 | 47 |
| 2 | Ross County | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 72 | 34 | +38 | 47 |
| 3 | Huntly | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 69 | 32 | +37 | 44 |

## Individual honours

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Footballer of the Year | George Connelly | Celtic |

## Scotland national team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 18 October | Idraetsparken, Copenhagen (A) | Denmark | 4–1 | WCQG8 | Lou Macari, Jimmy Bone, Joe Harper, Willie Morgan |
| 15 November | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Denmark | 2–0 | WCQG8 | Kenny Dalglish, Peter Lorimer |
| 14 February | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | England | 0–5 | Friendly | |
| 12 May | The Racecourse, Wrexham (A) | Wales | 2–0 | BHC | George Graham (2) |
| 16 May | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Northern Ireland | 1–2 | BHC | Kenny Dalglish |
| 19 May | Wembley Stadium, London (A) | England | 0–1 | BHC | |
| 22 June | Wankdorf Stadion, Bern (A) | Switzerland | 0–1 | Friendly | |
| 30 June | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Brazil | 0–1 | Friendly | |
1973 British Home Championship – Third Place
Key:
* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* WCQG8 = World Cup qualifying – Group 8
* BHC = British Home Championship