East of Scotland Shield

Infobox sports league
sport=Football
founded=1875
teams=Varied (currently 2)
country=flagicon|Scotland Scotland
champion=Hibernian

The East of Scotland Shield is a Scottish football trophy awarded by the East of Scotland Football Association. The only older cup competition in Scottish football is the Scottish Cup. [ [http://www.hibs.co.uk/news/more.php?id=A2740_0_1_0_M Reports: Hibernian U19 3 Hearts U19 2] Hibs official site]

The competition was a knockout tournament for football clubs based in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. These clubs included
Alloa Athletic, Armadale, Bathgate, Berwick Rangers, Bo'ness, Bonnyrigg Rose, Cowdenbeath, Edinburgh University, Hearts, Hibs, Leith Athletic, Lochgelly United, Meadowbank Thistle and St Bernard's.

Hearts and Hibs, traditionally the strongest clubs in the area, contested most of the finals. Declining attendances meant that the competition was not contested after 1989-90. The competition was revived in 2004 as an annual one-off match between the reserve teams of Hearts and Hibs, which acts as a fundraiser for the East of Scotland Football Association.

The competition was initially known as the Edinburgh F.A. Cup. Hibs won the Cup outright by winning it in three successive years from 1879 to 1881, [Mackay, John. (1990). "Hibernian: The Complete Story", Edinburgh: Sportsprint Publishing. ISBN 0-85976-321-8] which meant that it was renamed the East of Scotland Shield. [ [http://www.heartsfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HeartsHistory/0,,10289~924903,00.html 1874-1884] Hearts official site] It played a significant part in establishing Hibs and Hearts as the predominant football clubs in Edinburgh, as the 1878 Edinburgh Cup went to four replays and built interest in the two newly formed clubs. [ [http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/history/1878EFACUP.htm The First Great Edinburgh Derby - The Five Games for 1878 EFA Cup] www.londonhearts.com]

Winners

"The following list is incomplete."

References

*cite book| last=Lugton | first=Alan | title=The Making of Hibernian 1 | publisher=John Donald Publishers Ltd | year=1999 | isbn=0-85976-509-1
*cite book| last=Mackay | first=John | title=Hibernian: The Complete Story | publisher=Sportsprint Publishing | year=1990 | isbn=0-85976-321-8

Notes

External links

* [http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/str/eoss.html Hearts in EoSS]