View source for Spring Cup

{{Short description|Scottish football tournament}}
{{about|the football tournament|other uses|Spring Cup (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox sports league
|sport    = [[Association football|Football]]
|founded  = 1976
|teams    = 28
|country  = Scotland
|champion = [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]
}}

The '''Spring Cup''' was a Scottish [[Association football|football]] tournament played in 1976. It was introduced for members of Division One and Two of the [[Scottish Football League]] in the wake of league reconstruction in 1975, to be played after the conclusion of all the league fixtures at the end of the [[1975–76 in Scottish football|1975–76 season]]. It derived its title from the season (spring) it was played in.

==League reconstruction and foundation==
When Scottish Football League member clubs voted in favour reconstruction in the summer of 1974, the format they approved was a three division structure of 10, 14 and 14 teams respectively, to be introduced at the beginning of the [[1975–76 in Scottish football|1975–76 season]]. The new Divisions One and Two would now contain 14 teams, previously considered a difficult number for creating 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 sides having two fixtures at home against some teams, and one against others. The solution the Scottish Football League opted for was a 26-game calendar augmented by a supplementary cup competition, the "Spring Cup". The tournament, to be played at the season's end, was open only to teams from Divisions One and Two.

==Format==
The 28 Division One and Two clubs were divided into seven groups of 4 teams. These sides would play each other home and away, with two points awarded for a win and one for a draw, the top two sides in the group qualifying for the second round. In addition, the two third-placed sides with the best record would also qualify. The second round and quarter-finals were played on a two-leg, home and away basis, while the semi-finals and final were to be played at neutral venues.

==1975–76 Spring Cup==
Division One [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]] won the competition, defeating Division Two [[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]] in the final. They had qualified from a group containing [[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]], [[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]] and [[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]. In the second round they eliminated [[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]] 5–4 on [[two-legged match|aggregate]], while in the quarter-finals they beat [[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]. In the semi-final, a strike from Cairney and two [[own goal]]s helped them defeat [[Greenock Morton F.C.|Morton]] 3–1 at [[Love Street (stadium)|Love Street]].

===First round===

====Group 1====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|{{abbr|Pld|Matches played}}
!width=20|{{abbr|W|Matches won}}
!width=20|{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}
!width=20|{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=20|{{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]
|	6	||	4	||	1	||	1	||	11	||	7	||	+3    ||	9
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]
|	6	||	3	||	1	||	2	||	10	||	5	||	+5	||	7
|- 
|align="left"|	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]
|	6	||	1	||	3	||	2	||	9	||	8       ||	+1	||	5
|-
|align="left"|	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]
|	6	||	1	||	1	||	4	||	7	||	17	||	-10	||	3
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	2–1	||	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	1–0	||	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	4–0	||	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	3–0	||	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	2–0	||	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	0–1	||	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	1–0	||	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	2–2	||	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	1–1	||	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	4–2	||	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	6–2	||	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	1–1	||	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|}

====Group 2====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|{{abbr|Pld|Matches played}}
!width=20|{{abbr|W|Matches won}}
!width=20|{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}
!width=20|{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=20|{{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]
|	6	||	4	||	1	||	1	||	10	||	5	||	+5    ||	9
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Alloa Athletic F.C.|Alloa Athletic]]
|	6	||	2	||	3	||	1	||	10	||	8       ||	+2	||	7
|-
|align="left"|	[[Kilmarnock F.C.|Kilmarnock]]
|	6	||	1	||	3	||	2	||	5	||	6	||	-1   
||	5
|-
|-
|align="left"|	[[Berwick Rangers F.C.|Berwick Rangers]]
|	6	||	0	||	3	||	3	||	4	||	10	||	-6	||	3
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	2–1	||	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	1–0	||	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	4–0	||	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	3–0	||	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	2–0	||	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	0–1	||	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	1–0	||	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stranraer F.C.|Stranraer]]	||	2–2	||	[[Brechin City F.C.|Brechin City]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]	||	3–1	||	[[Alloa Athletic F.C.|Alloa Athletic]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Kilmarnock F.C.|Kilmarnock]]	||	3–1	||	[[Berwick Rangers F.C.|Berwick Rangers]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Alloa Athletic F.C.|Alloa Athletic]]	||	2–0	||	[[Berwick Rangers F.C.|Berwick Rangers]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|	[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]	||	2–0	||	[[Kilmarnock F.C.|Kilmarnock]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|}

====Group 3====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|{{abbr|Pld|Matches played}}
!width=20|{{abbr|W|Matches won}}
!width=20|{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}
!width=20|{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=20|{{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]
|	6	||	5	||	0	||	1	||	18	||	2	||	+16    ||	10
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]
|	6	||	4	||	0	||	2	||	14	||	5       ||	+9	||	8
|-
|align="left"|	[[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]]
|	6	||	2	||	1	||	3	||	6	||	17	||	-11  
||	5
|-
|-
|align="left"|	[[Forfar Athletic F.C.|Forfar Athletic]]
|	6	||	0	||	1	||	5	||	5	||	15	||	-10	||	1
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Forfar Athletic F.C.|Forfar Athletic]]	||	0–1	||	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]]	||	0–4	||	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]	||	5–0	||	[[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	5–0	||	[[Forfar Athletic F.C.|Forfar Athletic]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Forfar Athletic F.C.|Forfar Athletic]]	||	3–3	||	[[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	1–2	||	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Forfar Athletic F.C.|Forfar Athletic]]	||	0–1   ||	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]]	||	2–1	||	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]	||	4–2	||	[[Forfar Athletic F.C.|Forfar Athletic]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	4–0	||	[[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]]	||	1–0	||	[[Forfar Athletic F.C.|Forfar Athletic]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]	||	1–3	||	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|}

====Group 4====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|{{abbr|Pld|Matches played}}
!width=20|{{abbr|W|Matches won}}
!width=20|{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}
!width=20|{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=20|{{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]
|	6	||	4	||	0	||	2       ||	12	||	7       ||	+5	||	8
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]
|	6	||	3	||	0	||	3	||	8	||	6	||	+2  
||	6
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]
|	6	||	3	||	0	||	3	||	9	||	10	||	-1    ||	6
|-
|align="left"|	[[Stenhousemuir F.C.|Stenhousemuir]]
|	6	||	2	||	0	||	4	||	6	||	10	||	-4	||	4
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Stenhousemuir F.C.|Stenhousemuir]]	||	0–2	||	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	4–1	||	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	10 March 1976
|-
|	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	1–0	||	[[Stenhousemuir F.C.|Stenhousemuir]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	0–1	||	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	1–0	||	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stenhousemuir F.C.|Stenhousemuir]]	||	2–1	||	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	1–2   ||	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stenhousemuir F.C.|Stenhousemuir]]	||	2–3	||	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	0–1	||	[[Stenhousemuir F.C.|Stenhousemuir]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	1–2	||	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	7 April 1976
|-
|	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	3–2	||	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	3–1	||	[[Stenhousemuir F.C.|Stenhousemuir]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|}

====Group 5====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|{{abbr|Pld|Matches played}}
!width=20|{{abbr|W|Matches won}}
!width=20|{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}
!width=20|{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=20|{{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]
|	6	||	2	||	3	||	1	||	9	||	6	||	+3  
||	7
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]
|	6	||	3	||	1	||	2	||	7	||	8	||	-1    ||	7
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]
|	6	||	2	||	2	||	2	||	5	||	8       ||	-3    ||	6
|-
|align="left"|	[[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]]
|	6	||	2	||	0	||	4	||	8	||	7	||	+1    ||	4
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]]	||	3–0	||	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	1–1	||	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	1–0	||	[[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	1–1	||	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	1–2	||	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	2–0	||	[[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]]	||	4–0   ||	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	1–1	||	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	2–1	||	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	1–0	||	[[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]]	||	6 April 1976
|-
|	[[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]]	||	1–3	||	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	0–2	||	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|}

====Group 6====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|{{abbr|Pld|Matches played}}
!width=20|{{abbr|W|Matches won}}
!width=20|{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}
!width=20|{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=20|{{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]
|	6	||	4	||	1	||	1	||	12	||	9	||	+3    ||	9
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]
|	6	||	4	||	0	||	1	||	15	||	6	||	+9  
||	8
|-
|align="left"|	[[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]]
|	6	||	2	||	1	||	3	||	7	||	11       ||	-4    ||	5
|-
|align="left"|	[[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]]
|	6	||	1	||	0	||	5	||	6	||	14	||	-8    ||	2
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]]	||	1–3	||	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]	||	4–2	||	[[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]]	||	10 March 1976
|-
|	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	1–2	||	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]]	||	1–2	||	[[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]]	||	2–2	||	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	4–0	||	[[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]]	||	1–3   ||	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]	||	2–1	||	[[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	3–0	||	[[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]]	||	2–0	||	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]]	||	1–0	||	[[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]	||	2–1	||	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|}

====Group 7====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|{{abbr|Pld|Matches played}}
!width=20|{{abbr|W|Matches won}}
!width=20|{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}
!width=20|{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=20|{{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=20|{{abbr|Pts|Points}}
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]
|	6	||	4	||	1	||	1	||	15	||	11	||	+4    ||	9
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]
|	6	||	4	||	1	||	1	||	11	||	7	||	+4  
||	9
|-
|align="left"|	[[East Stirlingshire F.C.|East Stirlingshire]]
|	6	||	1	||	2	||	4	||	4	||	8       ||	-4    ||	4
|-
|align="left"|	[[Stirling Albion F.C.|Stirling Albion]]
|	6	||	0	||	2	||	4	||	6	||	10	||	-4    ||	2
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[East Stirlingshire F.C.|East Stirlingshire]]	||	1–2	||	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	6 March 1976
|-
|	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	2–4	||	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stirling Albion F.C.|Stirling Albion]]	||	0–0	||	[[East Stirlingshire F.C.|East Stirlingshire]]	||	13 March 1976
|-
|	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	3–0	||	[[East Stirlingshire F.C.|East Stirlingshire]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stirling Albion F.C.|Stirling Albion]]	||	0–1	||	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	20 March 1976
|-
|	[[East Stirlingshire F.C.|East Stirlingshire]]	||	2–1	||	[[Stirling Albion F.C.|Stirling Albion]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	1–4   ||	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	27 March 1976
|-
|	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	3–2	||	[[Stirling Albion F.C.|Stirling Albion]]	||	31 March 1976
|-
|	[[Stirling Albion F.C.|Stirling Albion]]	||	2–3	||	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	3 April 1976
|-
|	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	1–0	||	[[East Stirlingshire F.C.|East Stirlingshire]]	||	7 April 1976
|-
|	[[East Stirlingshire F.C.|East Stirlingshire]]	||	1–1	||	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	1–1	||	[[Stirling Albion F.C.|Stirling Albion]]	||	10 April 1976
|-
|}

===Second Rounds===

====First leg====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	2–1  ||	[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]	||	14 April 1976
|-
|	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	4–1   ||	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	14 April 1976
|-
|	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	4–2	||	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]||	14 April 1976
|-
|	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	3–1	||	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	14 April 1976
|-
|	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	1–1	||	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	14 April 1976
|-
|	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]	||	1–0  ||	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	14 April 1976
|-
|	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	3–0   ||	[[Alloa Athletic F.C.|Alloa Athletic]]	||	14 April 1976
|-
|	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]]	||	2–2	||	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]] ||	17 April 1976
|-
|}

====Second leg====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
!width= 75|Agg
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]||	3–0	||	[[Dunfermline Athletic F.C.|Dunfermline Athletic]]	||	17 April 1976	||	5–4
|-
|	[[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]]	||	2–0	||	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	17 April 1976	||	3–4
|-
|	[[Alloa Athletic F.C.|Alloa Athletic]]	||	1–4   ||	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	17 April 1976	||	1–7
|-
|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	2–0	||	[[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]||	17 April 1976	||	2–1
|-
|	[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]	||	2–0	||	[[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]]	||	17 April 1976	||	3–2
|-
|	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	6–3	||	[[Montrose F.C.|Montrose]]	||	17 April 1976	||	7–6	
|-
|	[[Queen's Park F.C.|Queen's Park]]	||	2–3  ||	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	17 April 1976	||	3–4
|-
|	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	4–0	||	[[Raith Rovers F.C.|Raith Rovers]] ||	19 April 1976	||	6–2
|-
|}

===Quarter-finals===

====First leg====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]] ||	1–0	||	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	21 April 1976
|-
|	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	4–2	||	[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]	||	21 April 1976
|-
|	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	0–4	||	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	21 April 1976
|-
|	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]||	1–0	||	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]		||	21 April 1976
|-
|}

====Second leg====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
!width= 75|Agg
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]||	5–0	||	[[Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]]	||	24 April 1976	||	9–0
|-
|	[[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]	||	1–0	||	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]	||	24 April 1976	||	1–1<ref name="aet">After Extra Time, Clydebank won on penalties</ref>	
|-
|	[[Falkirk F.C.|Falkirk]]	||	1–2||	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	24 April 1976	||	3–6
|-
|	[[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]]	||	0–1	||	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]||	24 April 1976	||	0–2
|-
|}

===Semi-finals===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=175 |Home Team
!width=20 |Score
!width=175  |Away Team
!width= 125|Date
|-
|	[[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]	||	3–1	||	[[Morton F.C.|Morton]]	||	28 April 1976
|-
|	[[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]     ||	3–1	||	[[Dumbarton F.C.|Dumbarton]]	||	28 April 1976
|-
|}

===Final===

{{footballbox
 | date = 3 May 1976
 | team1 = [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]
 | score = 4 – 2 ([[Extra time|a.e.t.]])
 | report=
 | team2 = [[Clydebank F.C. (1965)|Clydebank]]
 | goals1 = McCulloch {{goal|74}} {{goal|106}},<br /> [[John McVeigh (footballer)|McVeigh]] {{goal|105}}<br /> [[Tommy Walker (footballer, born March 1952)|Walker]] {{goal|115}}
 | goals2 = [[Mike Larnach|Larnach]] {{goal|2}} {{goal|100}}
 | stadium = [[Firhill Stadium]]
 | attendance = 5,000
 | referee = W Mullan ([[Dalkeith]])
}}

==Demise==
It quickly became apparent that the competition was not proving popular with spectators, and club directors began to talk of further change. The Scottish Football League itself seemed to have an ambiguous attitude to the competition, failing to have the trophy engraved before the first final. In May 1976, a motion forwarded by [[Albion Rovers F.C.|Albion Rovers]] to have a 39-game Division One and Two calendar, effectively ending the Spring Cup, was overwhelmingly backed, coming into force for the start of the [[1976–77 in Scottish football|1976–77 season]].

==See also==
* [[List of winners of the Scottish League One and predecessors#Scottish League C Division (1946–1955)|Scottish C Division]] League Cup
* Scottish [[B Division Supplementary Cup]]
* [[Scottish Challenge Cup]]

==References==
<references />
*{{cite book | last = Crampsey | first = Bob | title = Scottish Football League: The First 100 Years | type = Paperback | year = 1990 | publisher = Scottish Football League | isbn = 0-9516433-0-4}}

==External links==
*[http://www.scottishleague.net/archive/archive78.htm Competition details] at scottishleague.net
*[http://www.derek-drennan.co.uk/Football/Articles/Spring_Cup.html "Can We Have Our Cup Back?] at derek-drennan.co.uk
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407065641/http://www.statto.com/football/stats/scotland/spring-cup/ Spring Cup results] at statto.com

{{1975–76 in Scottish football}}
{{Defunct football competitions in Scotland}}

[[Category:Defunct football cup competitions in Scotland]]
[[Category:1975–76 in Scottish football]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:1976 disestablishments in Scotland]]