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Date: 9th October 2024
The Highland League quickly followed the Scottish League in introducing a League Cup competition as football emerged from the Second World War, into a decade of huge crowds. It was named after the former President of Nairn County, Councillor Angiolio Morganti, who was involved in Highland football for almost forty years until his death in 1941, and two and spent the 1930s as a legislator in regional and national football.
Played initially as a knock-out tournament, with two-legged matches in the opening rounds, the Cup was first won by Forres Mechanics, who beat Elgin City 5-2 in the final at Grant Street Inverness in August 1946. A full and illustrated match report – and of the 74 subsequent finals up to 2022 – is included in this very comprehensive account of the competition, written and compiled by Caledonian Thistle historian Ian Davidson and his Elgin City counterpart Robert Weir.
The final 100 pages of this 312 softback book contain a range of appendices summarizing various aspects of the competition, including semi finalists, leading goalscorers, winning managers, Cup Final programme covers, an A to Z of the players who appeared in the finals and referees.
The comprehensive coverage provides great detail to supplement the broader, and necessarily more abbreviated general histories of Highland League football and there is much to enjoy for historians of all clubs with tangential links to Highland League football and its clubs.
Examples include former Aberdeen and Scotland goalkeeper Bobby Clark’s brief – and successful – appearance for Forres Mechanics in 1984-85, Martin Buchan senior’s several appearances in the 1950s and former Montrose player Bruce Morrison’s record number of appearances in finals. There are familiar names amongst the winning managers: Ian Cumming, Doug Rougvie, Gordon Connelly, alongside Highland League legends.
It is a great read, impressively illustrated, and is available for £20 plus £4 p&P from Ian Davidson on 07730 808312 or online at: www.hlcf-book.co.uk
Article first published in the October 2023 issue of the Scottish Football Historian. For more details and to subscribe (four issues a year), please visit: https://www.scotlandsfootballers.com/sfh.html
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