Rothes FC in the Scottish Cup
Below is an at-a-glance record of all Rothes FC's Scottish Cup ties, providing a clear and concise overview of the Speysiders' participation in Scottish football's most prestigious cup competition.
Rothes' best cup run to date in the "Scottish" occurred during the 2021-22 season when the Speysiders won a first round tie 2-1 v Blackburn United in West Lothian. Rothes' second round opponents were Dalbeattie Star and the tie in Kirkcudbrightshire finished goalless after an Alan Pollock penalty kick was well saved by the Star goalkeeper. The replay at Mackessack Park resulted in a 1-0 victory for the visitors and ended Rothes' bid to reach the third round of the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history.
For many years, only members of the Scottish Football Association were allowed to enter the Scottish Cup directly, the remaining clubs having to qualify via the Scottish Qualifying Cup.
From 1895 until 1931 there was a single Scotland-wide tournament, which not only rewarded the winning side with a handsome trophy but also entitled the last sixteen participants entry into the Scottish Cup proper. After 1931, there were separate North and South cup competitions with the four semi-finalists from each tournament qualifying for the Scottish Cup.
In a further change to the minor clubs' involvement in the Scottish Cup, the two Qualifying Cups were suspended in 1954 and all clubs entered an extended Scottish Cup competition directly, with Scottish League clubs exempt until the later rounds. This arrangement lasted from 1954–55 to 1956–57 and enabled Rothes FC to make its debut in the national tournament, the first of three consecutive appearances:
1954-55 R1 Caledonian A 7-3
1955-56 R1 Buckie Thistle A 2-1
1956-57 R1 Arbroath A 10-2
In 1957 the North and South Qualifying Cup competitions were restored, and this unsurprisingly restricted Rothes' participation in the Scottish Cup to just five ties in the following fifty years. In 1959-60 the then reigning champions Rothes reached the final of the Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) for the first time. In the first leg of this first-ever all-Moray final, played in Rothes, the home team lost 3-2 on7 November. In the second leg, a week later at Borough Briggs, the score-line was repeated and Elgin clinched the trophy on a 6-4 aggregate. Both finalists thus qualified for the Scottish Cup where Rothes faced Stenhousemuir in Larbert:
1959-60 R1 Stenhousem'r A 2-0
The other four ties were as follows:
1966-67 PR1 Clydebank H 1-2
1980-81 R2 Clyde H 1-5
1986-87 RR2 Petehead H 1-3
1993-94 R1 East Fife A 5-0
The third of the above ties, the match against Peterhead, was the result of Rothes reaching the final of the North Qualifying Cup
for the second time, when they lost 2-1 to Caledonian FC at Borough Briggs on 15 November 1986. The Aberdeen Evening Express provided a succinct summary: "It was not the walkover many people had expected as Rothes gave as good as they got."
In June 2007 the Scottish Football Association announced a new format for the Scottish Cup enabling all clubs in full membership of the Association to be given direct entry into the competition. Rothes FC has participated in each subsequent season.
2007-08 R1 Nairn County H 1-4
2009-10 R1 Banks O'Dee H 1-5
2010-11 R1 Nairn County H 2-2
2010-11R1r Nairn County A 4-1
2011-12 R1 Clachnacuddin H 0-3
2012-13 R1 Buckie Thistle A 0-0
2012-1 R1r Buckie Thistle H 0-4
2013-14 R1 Threave Rov'rs A 3-0
2014-15 R1 Banks O'Dee H 0-4
2015-16 1 Buckie Thistle A 7-0
2016-17 1 B S C Glasgow A 3-1
2017-18 R1 Edusport Acad A 1-1
2017-18 R1r Edusport A. H 1-3
2018-19 R1 Clacknacuddin H 4-0
2018-19 R2 Annan Acad H 0-1
2019-20 R1 Caledonian B. A 3-4
2019-20 R2 Inverurie Loco H 1-3
2020-21 PR2 N'tongrange A 0-4
2020-21 R1 Fraserburgh H 1-3
2021-22 R1 Blackburn Utd A 1-2
2021-22 R2 Dalbeattie S. A 0-0
2021-22 R2r Dalbeattie S. H 0-1
2022-23 R1 Carnoustie P A 3-1
2023-24 R1 Brechin City A 4-0
2024-25 R1 Fraserburgh A 8-0
2025-26 R1 Wick Academy A 5-0
