1880s Kilmarnock F.C. seasons

1883–84 season

Stadium

Third round

Winners

Winners

Home colours

← 1882–83

1884–85 →

Season 1883–84 was the 11th season of competitive football by Kilmarnock.

Overview

Kilmarnock entered the Scottish Cup for the 11th time and also competed in the Ayrshire Cup and Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup. A walkover win came in the first round of the Scottish Cup as Kilbirnie failed to raise a team. In the second round, Kilmarnock saw off Hurlford 3–0 before they were eliminated in the third round by Thornliebank in a match that had to be replayed after the original result was declared void.

In the Ayrshire Cup, Kilmarnock reached the final for the second time after a walkover against Kilmarnock Portland was followed by wins against Maybole, Lugar Boswell and Kilmarnock Athletic. Hurlford were their opponents in the final at Holm Quarry on 22 March 1884 but the teams couldn't be separated as the game ended 2–2. However, Kilmarnock edged the replay two weeks later at the same venue to win the Ayrshire Cup for the first time.

There was also success in the Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup as Kilmarnock defeated Hurlford in a third competition after a 5–1 win at Holm Quarry in the final on 31 May 1884.

Scottish Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Attendance
8 September 1883	First round	Kilbirnie	w/o
29 September 1883	Second round	Hurlford	H	3–0^[15]	1,000
20 October 1883	Third round	Thornliebank	A	1–2^[C]
3 November 1883	Third round	Thornliebank	A	1–2^[16]

Notes

^
C- A protest from Kilmarnock was upheld and a rematch was ordered.^[5]

Ayrshire Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
October 1883	First round	Kilmarnock Portland	w/o
27 October 1883	Second round	Maybole	A	4–3^[6]
1 December 1883	Third round	Lugar Boswell	A	3–2^[6]
19 January 1884	Semi-final	Kilmarnock Athletic	A	3–1^[6]
22 March 1884	Final	Hurlford	N	2–2^[6]
5 April 1884	Final replay	Hurlford	N	1–0^[6]

Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
May 1884	First round	Bye^[12]
13 May 1884	Semi-final	Annbank	N	4–1^[12]
31 May 1884	Final	Hurlford	N	5–1^[12]

1884–85 season

1884–85 season

Stadium

Second round

Winners

Runners-up

Ayr Charity Cup

Runners-up

Home colours

← 1883–84

1885–86 →

Season 1884–85 was the 12th season of competitive football by Kilmarnock.

Overview

Kilmarnock entered the Scottish Cup for the 12th time and also competed in the Ayrshire Cup, the Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup and - for the first time - the Ayr Charity Cup. In the Scottish Cup, Kilmarnock were involved in a controversial first round tie. Kilmarnock initially defeated Hurlford 6–1 at Drumbiehill Park but a protest over a breach of registration rules was upheld and the result was declared void. The match was replayed and this time Hurlford won 3–1, however a similar protest by Kilmarnock was also upheld and Hurlford were disqualified from the competition. In the second round, Killie lost 4–1 to Annbank at Pebble Park.

A successful Ayrshire Cup campaign started with wins over Monkcastle and Lugar Boswell before Kilmarnock received a bye to the semi-finals. On 31 January 1885, Kilmarnock thumped Ayr 5–2 at Rugby Park to reach the final for the second consecutive season. They retained the cup after defeating Hurlford 2–0 in the final at Holm Quarry.

The two charity cups saw similar fates for Kilmarnock. In the final of the Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup, they lost 3–2 to Ayr at Rugby Park before losing to the same team in the Ayr Charity Cup final.

Scottish Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
20 September 1884	First round	Hurlford	A	6–1^[E]
27 September 1884	First round	Hurlford	A	1–3^[E]
4 October 1884	Second round	Annbank	A	1–4^[17]

Notes

^
E- A protest from Hurlford regarding a breach of registration rules was upheld by the Scottish Football Association and a rematch was ordered. Prior to the kick-off of the rematch, Kilmarnock submitted a similar protest which was subsequently upheld. As a result; both matches were declared void, Hurlford were disqualified and Kilmarnock advanced to the second round.^[5]

Ayrshire Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
11 October 1884	First round	Monkcastle	H	4–2^[6]
November 1884	Second round	Lugar Boswell	H	2–1^[6]
December 1884	Third round	Bye
31 January 1885	Semi-final	Ayr	H	5–2^[6]
28 February 1885	Final	Hurlford	H	2–1^[6]

Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
March 1885	First round	Bye
April 1885	Semi-final	Bye
30 May 1885	Final	Ayr	H	2–3^[12]

Ayr Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
21 March 1885	First round	Annbank	N	6–2^[18]
15 May 1885	Semi-final	Mauchline	N	3–1^[18]
6 June 1885	Final	Ayr	N	2–5^[18]

1885–86 season

1885–86 season

Stadium

Second round

Winners

Winners

Home colours

← 1884–85

1886–87 →

Season 1885–86 was the 13th season of competitive football by Kilmarnock.

Overview

Kilmarnock entered the Scottish Cup for the 13th time and also competed in the Ayrshire Cup and Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup. In the first round of the Scottish Cup, Kilmarnock easily saw off Annbank with a 7–1 win at Rugby Park. Their second round tie against Hurlford was more of a marathon after one match was declared void, two were drawn and one abandoned before the tie was finally settled six weeks after the original match. Hurlford won through with a 5–1 victory in the fifth match on 14 November 1885.

A third successive Ayrshire Cup triumph began with an 8–1 win over Maybole in the second round after Kilmarnock received a bye in the first round. The third round saw a 7–0 win over Annbank on Boxing Day 1885 following a protested match that Kilmarnock had won 5–0. Lanemark were defeated 3–1 in the semi-finals before Killie retained the trophy with a 2–1 win against Ayr in the final.

The Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup also saw Kilmarnock end with a 100% record after they defeated Kilmarnock Britannia, Kilbirnie and Ayr to lift the cup for the second time in three seasons.

Scottish Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Attendance
12 September 1885	First round	Annbank	H	7–1^[19]
3 October 1885	Second round	Hurlford	H	3–4^[F]
17 October 1885	Second round	Hurlford	H	1–1^[20]	2,000
31 October 1885	Second round replay	Hurlford	N	1–1^[G]	2,000
7 November 1885	Second round replay	Hurlford	A	2–2^[21]	2,000
14 November 1885	Second round second replay	Hurlford	H	1–5^[22]

Notes

^
F- A protest from Kilmarnock regarding a breach of registration rules was upheld by the Scottish Football Association and a rematch was ordered.^[5]
^
G- Played at Ayr. Match abandoned after 80 minutes.^[5]

Ayrshire Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
September 1885	First round	Bye
21 November 1885	Second round	Maybole	H	8–1^[6]
19 December 1885	Third round	Annbank	A	1–1^[6]
26 December 1885	Third round replay	Annbank	H	7–0^[6]
16 January 1886	Semi-final	Lanemark	H	2–0^[H]
February 1886	Semi-final	Lanemark	H	3–1^[6]
6 March 1886	Final	Ayr	H	2–1^[6]

Notes

^
H- Stopped at half time after Lanemark left the field.^[6]

Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
27 February 1886	First round	Kilmarnock Britannia	H	2–0^[12]
3 April 1886	Semi-final	Kilbirnie	H	2–1^[12]
8 May 1886	Final	Ayr	H	5–0^[12]

1886–87 season

1886–87 season

Stadium

Quarter-final

Second round

Runners-up

Home colours

← 1885–86

1887–88 →

Season 1886–87 was the 14th season of competitive football by Kilmarnock.

Overview

Kilmarnock entered the Scottish Cup for the 14th time and also competed in the Ayrshire Cup and Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup. In the Scottish Cup, Cumnock scratched the first round tie giving Kilmarnock a walkover victory. A club record 10–2 win was recorded against Lanemark in the second round and this was followed by a 7–2 win against Lugar Boswell in the third round. A bye in the fourth round then saw Kilmarnock defeat Dunblane 6–0 in the fifth round before the journey came to an end in the quarter-finals with a 5–0 loss to Queen's Park.

There was a similar start in the Ayrshire Cup when Girvan scratched from their first round tie. However, Killie's quest for a fourth consecutive Ayrshire Cup win was ended in the second round when they lost 2–1 to Hurlford. They did reach the final of the Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup but it was Ayr who had their name on the trophy after the competition committee decided to play the final second replay at Beresford Park in Ayr, the home of Ayr Parkhouse. Kilmarnock refused to play the match and Ayr were awarded the trophy.^[23]

Scottish Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Attendance
11 September 1886	First round	Cumnock	w/o
2 October 1886	Second round	Lanemark	H	10–2^[24]
23 October 1886	Third round	Lugar Boswell	H	7–2^[25]	2,000
13 November 1886	Fourth round	Bye
4 December 1886	Fifth round	Dunblane	H	6–0^[26]	2,000
25 December 1886	Quarter-final	Queen's Park	H	0–5^[27]	2,500

Ayrshire Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
September 1886	First round	Girvan	w/o
6 November 1886	Second round	Hurlford	A	1–2^[6]

Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Attendance
March 1887	First round	Lugar Boswell	Bye
9 April 1887	Semi-final	Hurlford	H	5–0^[12]	3,000
16 April 1887	Final	Ayr	H	3–3^[12]
23 April 1887	Final replay	Ayr	H	1–1^[12]	3,000
May 1887	Final second replay	Ayr	N	–^[I]

Notes

^
I- Ayr were awarded the trophy after Kilmarnock refused to play the second replay at Beresford Park.^[23]

1887–88 season

1887–88 season

Stadium

Fourth round

Third round

Runners-up

Ayr Charity Cup

Winners

Home colours

← 1886–87

1888–89 →

Season 1887–88 was the 15th season of competitive football by Kilmarnock.

Overview

Kilmarnock entered the Scottish Cup for the 15th time and also competed in the Ayrshire Cup, Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup and Ayr Charity Cup. The first round of the Scottish Cup saw an 8–2 win against Ayr Thistle at Rugby Park. Kilmarnock received a bye in the second round and In the third round, Killie drew 2–2 against Dykebar before winning the replay 9–1. The fourth round saw Kilmarnock knocked out by Partick Thistle after a replay.

In the first round of the Ayrshire Cup, Kilmarnock set a new record for the club's biggest victory when they defeated Burnfoothill 13–0. It was only the second time the team had scored 10 or more goals in a single game. Maybole – a team who Kilmarnock would also put 13 goals past in the Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup later in the season – were defeated 2–0 in the second round before Kilmarnock's Ayrshire Cup journey was ended by a 2–1 defeat to Kilbirnie at Parkfoot.

There were contrasting fates in the two charity cup competitions despite reaching the final in both. Kilmarnock lifted the Ayr Charity Cup for the first time after thumping Ayr 5–1 but the final of the Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup went unplayed after Kilmarnock refused to play just five days after their semi-final replay victory over Kilmarnock Thistle. As a result, the cup was awarded to Hurlford.

For the first time, Kilmarnock played in vertical stripes however these were black and white rather than the now-traditional blue and white stripes which were first introduced in 1896.^[1]

Scottish Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
3 September 1887	First round	Ayr Thistle	H	8–2^[28]	Taylor (2), McPherson (2)
24 September 1887	Second round	Bye
15 October 1887	Third round	Dykebar	A	2–2^[29]	Smith, McGuinness	3,000
22 October 1887	Third round replay	Dykebar	H	9–1^[30]	Taylor (2), Higgins (3), McGuinness
5 November 1887	Fourth round	Partick Thistle	A	2–2^[31]	McPherson (2)	4,000
12 November 1887	Fourth round replay	Partick Thistle	H	1–4^[32]	McGuinness	5,000

Ayrshire Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
17 September 1887	First round	Burnfoothill	H	13–0^[6]
29 October 1887	Second round	Maybole	A	2–0^[6]
17 December 1887	Third round	Kilbirnie	A	1–2^[6]

Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
24 March 1888	First round	Maybole	H	13–0^[12]
May 1888	Semi-final	Kilmarnock Thistle	A	–^[J]
21 May 1888	Semi-final replay	Kilmarnock Thistle	H	5–1^[12]
26 May 1888	Final	Hurlford	N	–^[J]

Notes

^
J- Kilmarnock refused to play the final just five days after the semi-final replay and the cup was awarded to Hurlford.^[12]^[23]

Ayr Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
3 March 1888	Semi-final	Hurlford	N	4–0^[18]
31 March 1888	Final	Ayr	N	5–1^[18]

1888–89 season

1888–89 season

Stadium

Second round

Semi-final

Runners-up

Ayr Charity Cup

Semi-final

Glasgow Exhibition Cup

First round

Home colours

← 1887–88

1889–90 →

Season 1888–89 was the 16th season of competitive football by Kilmarnock.

Overview

Kilmarnock entered the Scottish Cup for the 16th time and also competed in the Ayrshire Cup, Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup, Ayr Charity Cup and Glasgow Exhibition Cup.

In the early-season Glasgow Exhibition Trophy - a one-off tournament held to coincide with the International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry - Kilmarnock lost their first round tie to Kilbirnie in a replay. It would be the first of four tournaments that Kilbirnie would eliminate Kilmarnock from over the season.

The Scottish Cup was the second of them. After a convincing 5–0 first round win against Lugar Boswell, Killie lost 3–1 at home against Kilbirnie in the second round.

Kilmarnock were involved in a marathon of an Ayrshire Cup campaign which saw them play nine matches before being eliminated in the semi-finals. An 11–1 first round win over Stewarton Cunninghame was followed by a 4–0 win over Mauchline in the second round. After two draws and a protested match, Kilmarnock eventually saw off Irvine in the third round with a 3–0 win at the neutral Somerset Park. The semi-final against Hurlford also reached a second replay after two draws but this time it was Hurlford who would advance with a 3–1 win.

In both charity cup competitions, Kilmarnock were due to play Kilbirnie in the semi-finals. However, after Ayr and Hurlford were disqualified from Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup, the semi-final tie became the final. Kilbirnie won 4–2 to lift the trophy and then, just a week later, they also knocked Kilmarnock out of the Ayr Charity Cup.

Scottish Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
1 September 1888	First round	Lugar Boswell	A	5–0^[33]	Lyle, Forbes (2), Russell, Campbell
22 September 1888	Second round	Kilbirnie	H	1–3^[34]	Brodie	5,000

Ayrshire Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
6 October 1888	First round	Stewarton Cunninghame	A	11–1^[6]
27 October 1888	Second round	Mauchline	A	4–0^[6]
17 November 1888	Third round	Irvine	A	2–2^[6]
26 November 1888	Third round replay	Irvine	H	5–1^[K]
1 December 1888	Third round replay	Irvine	H	2–2^[6]
8 December 1888	Third round second replay	Irvine	N	3–0^[6]
15 December 1888	Semi-final	Hurlford	H	3–3^[6]
22 December 1888	Semi-final replay	Hurlford	A	1–1^[6]
12 January 1889	Semi-final second replay	Hurlford	N	1–3^[6]

Notes

^
K- A protest from Irvine was upheld by the Ayrshire Football Association and a rematch was ordered.^[6]

Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
2 March 1889	First round	Bye
30 March 1889	Second round	Maybole	H	4–4^[12]
13 April 1889	Second round replay	Maybole	N	5–1^[12]
April 1889	Semi-final	Kilbirnie		–^[L]
11 May 1889	Final	Kilbirnie	H	2–4^[12]

Notes

^
L- Kilmarnock were due to play Kilbirnie in the semi-final however both teams were given a bye to the final after the other semi-finalists, Ayr and Hurlford were disqualified.^[12]

Ayr Charity Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A
23 February 1889	First round	Irvine	A	4–1^[18]
20 April 1889	Semi-final	Kilbirnie	H	1–1^[18]
18 May 1889	Semi-final replay	Kilbirnie	A	3–5^[18]

Glasgow Exhibition Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
August 1888	First round	Kilbirnie	H	1–1^[35]
11 August 1888	First round replay	Kilbirnie	A	0–1^[35]

1889–90 season

1889–90 season

Stadium

First round

First round