The 1975–76 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in Scotland and the 79th season of Scottish league football. It was the first season in the new, three-tier setup.
The Premier Division champions succeeded the last Division One champions, and the new First Division champions were equivalent to the old Division Two champions. The new Second Division was a completely new competition.
Both the First and Second Divisions now contained 14 teams, previously considered a difficult number to ensure a balanced schedule. A 26-game programme, with every team playing each other home and away, was considered too short, a 52-game programme (with each team playing each other home and away twice) too congested. A 39-game schedule would leave an imbalance with each side having two fixtures at home against some teams, and one against others. The Scottish Football League addressed the problem by opting for a 26-game calendar and introducing a supplementary competition, the Spring Cup, open only to teams from the First and Second Divisions, to be played at the season's end. It was discontinued after a single season.
Scottish Premier Division
Champions: Rangers Relegated: Dundee, St Johnstone
Scottish League First Division
Promoted: Partick Thistle, Kilmarnock Relegated: Dunfermline Athletic, Clyde
Scottish League Second Division
Promoted: Clydebank, Raith Rovers
Cup honours
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upScottish Cup 1975–76Rangers3 – 1Heart of MidlothianLeague Cup 1975–76Rangers1 – 0CelticSpring CupAirdrieonians4 – 2 ClydebankJunior CupBo'ness United3 – 0Darvel Juniors
Other honours
National
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upScottish Qualifying Cup – NorthElgin City3 – 1 *Inverness ThistleScottish Qualifying Cup – SouthVale of Leithen5 – 2 *Girvan
County
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upAberdeenshire CupFraserburgh3-1HuntlyAyrshire CupAyr United4 – 0 *KilmarnockEast of Scotland ShieldHearts8 – 0 Meadowbank ThistleFife CupRaith Rovers3 – 2 * East FifeForfarshire CupDundee United3 – 1DundeeGlasgow CupRangers3 – 1 CelticLanarkshire CupAirdrieStirlingshire CupStenhousemuir1 – 0East Stirling – aggregate over two legs
Highland League
Individual honours AwardWinnerClub Footballer of the Year John Greig Rangers
Scotland national team
DateVenueOpponentsCompetitionScotland scorer(s)3 SeptemberIdraetsparken, Copenhagen (A)1–0ECQG4Joe Harper29 OctoberHampden Park, Glasgow (H)3–1ECQG4Kenny Dalglish, Bruce Rioch, Ted MacDougall17 DecemberHampden Park, Glasgow (H)1–1ECQG4Bruce Rioch7 AprilHampden Park, Glasgow (H)1–0friendlyWillie Pettigrew6 MayHampden Park, Glasgow (H)3–1BHCWillie Pettigrew, Bruce Rioch, Eddie Gray8 MayHampden Park, Glasgow (H)3–0BHCArchie Gemmill, Kenny Dalglish, Don Masson15 MayHampden Park, Glasgow (H)2–1BHCDon Masson, Kenny Dalglish
1976 British Home Championship – Winners
Key: (H) = Home match (A) = Away match ECQG4 = European Championship qualifying – Group 4 BHC = British Home Championship
Notes and references
External links Scottish Football Historical Archive