List of Kilmarnock F.C. seasons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of seasons played by Kilmarnock Football Club, an association football club based in Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland, up to the present day. The list details the club's record in major league and cup competitions. Records of regular minor competitions, such as the Ayrshire Cup which Kilmarnock won 43 times, are not included.
Kilmarnock F.C. was founded in 1869 during a general meeting at Robertson's Temperance Hotel on Portland Street.[1] The club first played professional football in 1873 when they participated in the inaugural season of the Scottish Cup, an annual knockout competition. They did not play league fixtures until 1895 when they joined the Scottish Football League, competing in the 1895–96 Scottish Division Two.
Having won the Scottish Cup twice (1920[2] and 1929)[3] from five appearances in the final before the Second World War,[4] the club's finest achievement was winning the Scottish league title in 1964–65, securing the championship on goal average on the final day by beating direct challengers Hearts 2–0 away from home.[5] It ended a long wait for a trophy – they had been runners-up in four of the past five seasons, and had lost in major domestic cup finals four times in the previous seven years. In the 1966–67 season, Kilmarnock reached the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but this was to mark the end of their spell of high achievement, and by 1972–73 they had been relegated for only the second time in their history.
They spent the next two decades regularly swapping between the first and second levels (and one season in the third) before going up to the top tier in 1992–93; they have remained there since, with only three other clubs having longer current runs at that level. Killie won the Scottish Cup for a third time in 1997,[6] and finally claimed the Scottish League Cup, in their sixth appearance in the final, in 2012.[7] In 2018–19, the club's 150th anniversary season, they finished in 3rd place in the Scottish Premiership, their highest position and points total in the modern era.[8]
On 24 May 2021 Kilmarnock were relegated to the Scottish Championship. This is the first time in 28 years they will have played out of the top flight.
Seasons
Pre-1891
Between the club's formation in 1869 and 1891 – when they joined the Scottish Football Alliance – Kilmarnock only competed in cup competitions including the Scottish Cup and the Ayrshire Cup.
| Season | Scottish Cup | Ayrshire Cup | Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup | Ayr Charity Cup | Glasgow Exhibition Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873–74 | First round | [a] | [b] | [c] | [d] |
| 1874–75 | Second round | ||||
| 1875–76 | Second round | ||||
| 1876–77 | Second round | ||||
| 1877–78 | Second round | Second round | |||
| 1878–79 | First round | First round | |||
| 1879–80 | Second round | Third round | |||
| 1880–81 | Third round | Third round | |||
| 1881–82 | Fifth round | Runner-up | First round | ||
| 1882–83 | Second round | First round | First round | ||
| 1883–84 | Third round | Winners | Winners | ||
| 1884–85 | Second round | Winners | Runner-up | Runner-up | |
| 1885–86 | Second round | Winners | Winners | [c] | |
| 1886–87 | Quarter-final | Second round | Runner-up | ||
| 1887–88 | Fourth round | Third round | Runner-up | Winners | |
| 1888–89 | Second round | Semi-final | Runner-up | Semi-final | First round |
| 1889–90 | First round | First round | Semi-final | [c] | [d] |
| 1890–91 | First round | Winners | [b] |
- Notes
- ^ a- The Ayrshire Cup wasn't played until season 1877–78.[9]
- ^ b- The Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup wasn't played until season 1880–81. Kilmarnock did not enter the competition in 1880–81 or 1890–91.[10]
- ^ c- The Ayr Charity Cup wasn't played until season 1884–85. Kilmarnock did not enter the competition in 1885–86, 1886–87, 1889–90 or 1890–91.[11]
- ^ d- The Glasgow Exhibition Cup was a one-off tournament played in 1888.[12]
1891–1914
- Notes
- ^ e- Kilmarnock were deducted 3 points in 1894–95.[13]
- ^
- ^ g- As one of the top three teams in Division Two, Kilmarnock were put forward for election to Division One. However, they did not receive a single vote at the election and remained in Division Two.[14]
- ^
- ^ i- Kilmarnock were elected to Division One for the first time after receiving 15 votes at the election.[14]
- ^ j- As one of the bottom two teams, Kilmarnock faced re-election for the first time. At the election, they received eight votes and were re-elected along with Motherwell.[14]
- ^ k- Kilmarnock tied with Port Glasgow Athletic for 14th place in 1905–06 so a play-off was arranged to decide who would be the second team to face re-election to Division One. Port Glasgow Athletic won the match 6–0 but, after it was decided to increase the number of teams in Division One, Kilmarnock and Queen's Park were unanimously re-elected.[14]
- ^ l- Kilmarnock tied with Port Glasgow Athletic and Hamilton Academical for 14th place in 1906–07 but it was decided not to arrange a three-way play-off and all three clubs were put up for re-election to Division One. The trio were subsequently re-elected.[14]
1914–1919
During World War I a number of changes were introduced, the Scottish Cup was suspended for the duration of the conflict and a number of teams were weakened as players went off to fight in the war. Kilmarnock continued to compete in the Scottish Football League.
| Season | League record | Other competitions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Pos | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Competition | Result | |
| 1914–15 | SFL Division One | 12th | 38 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 55 | 59 | 34 | ||
| 1915–16 | SFL Division One | 10th | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 49 | 35 | ||
| 1916–17 | SFL Division One | 6th | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 69 | 45 | 43 | ||
| 1917–18 | SFL Division One | 3rd | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 69 | 41 | 43 | War Fund Shield | Quarter-final |
| 1918–19 | SFL Division One | 9th | 34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 61 | 59 | 35 | Victory Cup | First round |
1919–1939
1939–1946
Kilmarnock were inactive during World War II as their Rugby Park ground was used as a munitions store by the British Army during the conflict. They began the 1939–40 season in the subsequently abandoned SFL Division One before competing in the unofficial Emergency League West, finishing eighth, and the Scottish War Emergency Cup where they reached the quarter-finals. The club began competing after the conflict had ended in 1945–46, again in unofficial competitions. They finished 15th in the Southern League, were eliminated in the group stages of the Southern League Cup and lost in the second round of the Victory Cup.[15]
1946–present
- Notes
League performance summary
The Scottish Football League was founded in 1890 and, other than during seven years of hiatus during World War II,[a] the national top division has been played every season since.[b] The following is a summary of Kilmarnock's divisional status:
- 125 total eligible seasons (including 2019–20)
- 93 seasons in top level[c]
- 26 seasons in second level[d]
- 1 season in third level[e]
- 0 seasons in fourth level[f]
- 5 seasons not involved – before club was league member
- ↑ The incomplete 1939–40 edition has not been counted in the totals.
- ↑ The top tier became the Scottish Premier League in 1998, and all four divisions became the Scottish Professional Football League in 2013.
- ↑ Has existed between 1890–1939, and since 1946.
- ↑ Has existed between 1893–1915, 1921–1939 and since 1946.
- ↑ Has existed between 1923–1926, 1946–1949, and since 1976.
- ↑ Has existed since 1994.
References
- ↑ Ross, David (1994). Killie: The Official History. Harefield: The Bath Press. ISBN 1-874427-75-5.
- ↑ Killie Win Their 1st of 3 Scottish Cups, KillieFC.com
- ↑ Killie Win The Cup For The Second Time, KillieFC.com
- ↑ Killie History ..1869-1950 "In The Beginning", KillieFC.com
- ↑ Killie Clinch Championship On The Final Day, KillieFC.com
- ↑ Killie Win Their Third Scottish Cup, KillieFC.com
- ↑ Killie Complete Their Domestic Treble, KillieFC.com
- ↑ Kilmarnock 2–1 Rangers, BBC Sport, 19 May 2019
- ↑ "Ayrshire Cup". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ↑ "Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ↑ "Ayr Charity Cup". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ↑ "Glasgow Exhibition Trophy". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ↑ "Ayrshire Football Combination". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Scottish League Re-elections and Elections". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ↑ "Victory Cup". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- ↑ "Summer Cup". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- ↑ English, Tom (22 May 2016). "Kilmarnock 4–0 Falkirk". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ↑ "Celtic champions & Hearts relegated after SPFL ends season". BBC Sport. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
External links
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