Season 1888/89

Queen's Park's season commenced on Saturday 11 August 1888 when what was described as a scratch side travelled to Carluke to play Milton Rovers. Queen's recorded a 5-1 victory. A week later, a Glasgow select side, said to consist largely of Queen's Park men, was beaten 7-3 by Arbroath at an enlarged and improved Gayfield Park.

The Spiders' first serious outing of the season took place on Saturday 25 August when they took on Dumbarton at Boghead. Queen's enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 victory, with little William "Willie" Berry hitting a hat trick (one report credited the first goal to Bob Fraser.)

Saturday 1 September was Scottish Cup first round day. Queen's Park had been scheduled to play Northern at Hyde Park in Springburn but the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. The tie took place on the following Saturday. Several thousand spectators turned out on a fine day and they saw Northern give the Spiders a tough game. Tom Downes put the home side ahead in 15 minutes with a fine goal but Andrew Hamilton struck an equaliser before half-time. A minute into the second half, Bill Newlands restored Northern's lead but, immediately afterwards, Bill Harrower levelled the scores once again. Robert Burnside in the Northern goal was performing heroics but was finally beaten when Allan Stewart met a corner kick to give Queen's victory by three goals to two.

On the following Tuesday, Queen's Park had a match at Hampden Park with a Canadian touring side. The Canadians, comprising players from Ontario, were in the midst of an extensive tour of Ireland, Scotland and England. Queen's took the lead in 15 minutes through Andrews and doubled their advantage from a scrimmage a few minutes before the interval. The visitors pulled a goal back in the second half but, with darkness setting in, Willie Berry scored a third for the Spiders to secure a comfortable victory.

William Berry

Saturday 15 September was the date scheduled for the first round of the Glasgow Cup and Queen's Park had been drawn away to Glasgow Thistle at Beechwood Park in Bridgeton. Queen's strolled to an easy 9-1 victory. The goalscorers varied a little from report to report but seem likely to have been Bill Sellar (3), William Berry (2), Bob Fraser (2), David "Davie" Allan and Allan Stewart. Thistle had taken the lead in ten minutes but were completely outplayed thereafter.

By coincidence, Queen's Park had also been drawn against Thistle in the second round of the Scottish Cup. On this occasion, the tie took place at Hampden Park. Due to the margin of victory on the previous Saturday, there was no great interest in the game and only about a thousand spectators turned out. Queen's were 5-0 up at half-time through Jimmy Hamilton (2), Bill Sellar (2) and David Allan. The scorer of the only goal in the second half in a 6-0 victory is not known. While there was only a small crowd at Hampden Park, there was a record attendance at the International Exhibition Recreation Ground at Kelvingrove to see Queen's Park Ancients play Rangers Ancients. The Spiders' old boys won 2-1.

On Saturday 29 September, Queen's Park were in the capital taking on Hibernian at Easter Road. Poor weather kept the crowd down to about 2,000. Queen's romped to a 7-1 victory. Goals from Sellar (4), Allan and Macara had the Spiders six up at the interval. Queen's appeared to take matters easy in the second period but scored a seventh goal when a Berry shot glanced in off Eccles. Just before time, Mack pulled a goal back for Hibs.

There was a sad event on 4 October 1888. Former captain of Queen's Park and Scotland Joseph "Joe" Taylor died after a long illness. He was 37 years of age and left a widow and four children.

Queen's Park's next match was a Glasgow Cup second round encounter away to Cambuslang Hibernian before a record crowd of 1,200 at Westburn Park. Queen's won 4-0. Bill Sellar gave the Spiders the lead early in the match " with one of his famous lightning strikes" and headed in a second goal followed from a scrimmage in 35 minutes. The scorers of the two second half goals were Bob Fraser and Allan Stewart.

On Saturday 13 October, Queen's Park's had a tough away tie against 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers in the third round of the Scottish Cup. The game attracted a 13,000 crowd to Cathkin Park. Third Lanark had been in fine form and were expected to come out on top. After early pressure, John Marshall opened the scoring for the Volunteers in ten minutes, with Queen's claiming offside. However, James Eccles equalised for the Hampden men in 30 minutes and the scores were level at half-time. Two minutes after the restart, Marshall restored the 3rd LRV lead with a low shot. Queen's went close on a number of occasions but could not find an equaliser. Half a minute from time, Queen's seemed to have scored from a hotly-contested scrimmage in front of the posts but the referee declined to award the goal. The result, therefore, was a 2-1 victory for the Volunteers.

Somewhat controversially, Queen's Park lodged a protest against 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers due to them fielding William Love who had already played in a Scottish Cup tie for Woodvale that season. The result of the Woodvale tie had been annulled but Queen's Park argued that it should still count as a cup tie. The Queen's protest was upheld by the SFA and the sides were ordered to replay the match.

On Saturday 20 October, Queen's Park and Dumbarton met in a friendly match at the Exhibition. The games at Kelvingrove were proving very popular and 10,000 spectators turned out to see Queen's and Dumbarton fight out a 2-2 draw. James Eccles and Allan Stewart were on target for the Spiders.

A week later, the protested Scottish Cup tie was rerun at Cathkin Park. A crowd upwards of 12,000 attended. Queen's Park fielded Bob Christie in the match but his lack of fitness was all too apparent. 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers took the lead in 17 minutes when a Jimmy Oswald drive was deflected past his own 'keeper by Bob Smellie. Eight minutes later, Oswald headed a second. Queen's Park then suffered a blow when Alex Hamilton was carried off with a knee injury. Bill Sellar gave the Spiders hope when he pulled a goal back but Oswald restored the Volunteers' two goal advantage before half-time. Alex Hamilton reappeared for the second half but his contribution was limited. Queen's hopes of a comeback were dashed when John Marshall scored a fourth for Third Lanark with a strong shot. Allan Stewart pulled a goal back in 70 minutes but it was too little too late. 3rd LRV deservedly progressed to the next round of the competition with a 4-2 victory and Queen's Park bade farewell to the Scottish Cup for another season. Alex Hamilton's injury was to rule him out for the rest of the season.

The cup ties were coming thick and fast and, on Saturday 3 November, Queen's Park were at Hyde Park in Springburn meeting Northern in the third round of the Glasgow Cup. Queen's took the lead in 10 minutes from a scrimmage but Newlands equalised in 30 minutes after a mistake by George Gillespie in the Spiders' goal. Queen's Park retook the lead from a free kick (scorer not known) but Northern shocked the Spiders' fans in the crowd with four quick goals from Robb, Downes, Robb and Newlands before half-time. At 5-2 down, Queen's Park had it all to do in the second half. After having two goals disallowed, Queen's final pulled a goal back in 75 minutes through David Allan. Bill Sellar then got a fourth and, a few minutes from time, Bob Fraser capitalised on a Sellar pass to salvage a 5-5 draw.

The replay with Northern took place at Hampden Park on the following Saturday. Despite the previous week's draw, the general feeling was that Queen's Park would win easily and few spectators were present to view the action. Fraser, Berry and Sellar gave Queen's a 3-0 lead at half-time and further goals from Allan, Hamilton and Berry took the final score to 6-0.

Having seen off Northern, Queen's Park then faced the daunting task of a trip to Celtic Park in the semi-final of the Glasgow Cup. The match took place only a week later - on Saturday 17 November 1888. This was the first meeting of Celtic and Queen's Park and the Parkhead men were considered virtual certainties to win the tie. Indeed, it was reported that a member of the Queen's Park Committee opted not to attend the match because he did not want to have to watch his club being humiliated. The weather on the day was miserable and kept the attendance down to about 6,500. The ground was heavy, which seemed to suit Queen's Park. In an exciting first half, Celtic had more of the play but the Spiders created the better chances. There was only one goal in the opening period and it was Queen's Park that scored it. A long ball from goalkeeper George Gillespie was picked up by Willie Berry and the sturdy little winger ran on to fire a fine shot past Willie Dunning in the Celtic goal. Five minutes into the second half, Queen's doubled their lead when Tom Robertson headed home a Fraser free kick. Celtic were handicapped in the second half by an injury to John Coleman, who was pretty much a passenger before leaving the field with ten minutes remaining. Queen's Park were well on top in the final 30 minutes and ran out comfortable winners. The Spiders showed great stamina on the sodden pitch, despite the fact that they were one of the few leading clubs not to employ a professional trainer.

Unfortunately, there were several unsavoury incidents at Celtic Park in the latter stages of proceedings. The Scotsman reported - "A portion of the crowd who had got inside the enclosure dragged one of the officials into the crowd, where he was badly handled, and all round threats were showered on the referee." (The umpire dragged into the crowd was rescued.) As the two sides made their way to the pavilion at the end of the game, several Queen's Park players were kicked by spectators, George Gillespie particularly severely.

On the following Saturday, Dumbarton Athletic visited Hampden Park. Due to dreadful weather, the game was limited to two halves of 35 minutes. Queen's Park took the lead in five minutes through Willie Berry and Jimmy Hamilton doubled the Spiders' advantage in 30 minutes. Early in the second half, Bill Sellar scored goal number three with a spectacular shot and Willie Berry got a fourth. The Dumbarton men then pulled back two goals through Alex Latta, although the first of these appeared to have gone over rather than under the bar. Just before the end, Bob Fraser made the final score 5-2 with a shot in off the post.

Queen's Park and 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers met again on Saturday 1 December. A keen rivalry had developed between the two clubs and the match attracted a large crowd to Cathkin Park, despite extremely wet weather. The Spiders were three up at the interval through Jimmy Hamilton (2) and either David Allan or Willie Berry. Third Lanark had the better of the second half but could not score and Queen's Park ran out 3-0 winners.

There was some surprise at the news that Queen's Park defender Quintin Neill and former Spider Harry Miller had apparently gone south to Lincoln to play professionally. Only players in manual occupations, with a need to put bread on the table, had taken the professional route previously. Although both Neill and Miller had been unemployed for some time, they were seen as being on a higher social scale and not in a state of deprivation. In Neill's case, it transpired that he had indeed gone to England but had not turned professional.

On Saturday 8 December 1888, the Glasgow Cup Final took place before a 6,000 crowd at the first Ibrox Park. A total of 25 clubs had entered the competition and the club that had made it through to face Queen's Park in the final was Partick Thistle. As expected, the Spiders had a very comfortable victory. Queen's scored three goals in five minutes in the first half. Jimmy Hamilton opened the scoring in 15 minutes, David Allan doubled the lead from a scrimmage a minute later and Willie Berry made it three in the 20th minute. Queen's scored a further five goals in the second period to record a resounding 8-0 victory. A terrific Berry goal in 65 minutes made the score 4-0 and Hamilton fired a shot high under the bar for number five. Bob Fraser met a corner kick for number six, Bill Sellar made it seven, and the eighth and final goal came from a scrimmage (scorer not known). The Queen's Park side that won the Glasgow Cup for the first time was - G Gillespie; R Smellie and J Harvie; J Macara, A Stewart and T Robertson; R Fraser, W Berry, J Hamilton, D S Allan and W Sellar.

After the game, a large company of players and officials met for tea in the Royal Hotel in George Square. The Glasgow Challenge Cup was handed over to Stewart Lawrie, the Queen's Park President, and badges (medals) awarded to the winning players.

A week later, Queen's Park beat Cambuslang 6-3 at Hampden Park. Queen's went into a three goal lead through David Allan, Jimmy Hamilton and Willie Berry. Hugh Gourlay pulled a goal back before Queen's scored a fourth from a scrimmage. Jimmy Hamilton may have got the final touch. Either George Caldow or James Plenderleith scored again for the village side to make the half-time score 4-2. The second half scorers are not known.

On the Saturday before Christmas, Rangers were the visitors to Hampden Park. There were only around 1,500 spectators at the game thanks to, according to Scottish Sport, the Light Blues' poor record and poorer reputation. The Spiders took the lead in eight minutes through Bob Fraser after good play by Berry. Rangers were outplayed in the first half but the score remained 1-0 at half-time. The second half was more even but Queen's Park scored two late goals through James Eccles and Tom Robertson to secure a 3-0 victory.

On the last Saturday of the year, Queen's Park welcomed Hibernian to Hampden Park. The ground was frozen hard and The Scotsman described the game as "little better than a farce". Queen's won 3-0 with second half goals from Willie Berry (2) and Allan Stewart. Only a fine display by the Hibernian goalkeeper prevented a larger margin of victory.

Three year's later, on New Year's Day, Queen's Park staged their annual match with Corinthians (Corinthian FC) of London. The Englishmen took the field 40 minutes late, much to the annoyance of the 12,000 or so spectators at Hampden Park. It was a fine, frosty afternoon and the teams provided the crowd with fine entertainment. Queen's had the best of the early play and took the lead through Bill Sellar or Jimmy Hamilton (reports varied) after great play by Willie Berry. Corinthians then equalised through either Lindley or Wreford-Brown, before taking the lead through Queen's Park member Johnny Lambie. After the break, the Spiders drew level when Jimmy Hamilton got his head to a long Allan drive. Towards the close, Bob Fraser hit a dramatic winner to give Queen's a deserved 3-2 win.

Queen's Park had yet another home game on Saturday 5 January 1889. Their opponents were near-neighbours 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers and the match was played for the benefit of the widow and family of the late Queen's Park captain, Joe Taylor. There was a crowd of 7,000 and the fund benefited by around £220. Jimmy Hamilton gave Queen's the lead in 18 minutes but Jimmy Hannah and James McPherson were on target in the second half to give the Volunteers an unexpected 2-1 victory. The games featured a controversial incident that created a bit of a dispute between the two clubs. Third Lanark right back Andrew Thomson received a shoulder injury before half-time and John Auld came on as a substitute for the second half. There was, of course, no provision for substitutions in those days and it was unclear who had actually authorised him taking Thomson's place. Queen's Park claimed that the result should not count because of the Auld substitution. Not surprisingly, the Volunteers disagreed.

On Saturday 12 January, there was a crowd of over 4,000 at Barrowfield Park to see Queen's Park take on Clyde. Queen's were three up at half-time through James Hamilton (2) and either David Allan or Bill Sellar. Bill Sawers pulled a goal back but the Spiders scored a further three times to record a 6-1 victory. Two of the second half goals came from Robert Paterson. The scorer of the final goal is not known.

Queen's Park were not in action on the following Saturday. Allan Stewart and Willie Berry played in Glasgow's 8-1 win over Sheffield at Hampden Park. Berry scored the seventh goal.

Morton were the visitors to Hampden Park on Saturday 26 January. The crowd was bigger than might otherwise have been expected due to the fact that Walter "Wattie" Arnott was making his first appearance of the season. Queen's opened the scoring in the first minute through either Berry or Sellar and went on to score four more before half-time. Three came from Sellar, Berry and Allan. The scorer of the other goal is not known. The Spiders then scored a further three goals in the second period through Fraser (2) and Hamilton to complete an 8-0 win.

On the following Saturday, Queen's Park travelled to Alexandria to play Vale of Leven. The ground was covered in a couple of inches of snow and it was agreed to play two halves of 35 minutes. Despite the conditions, the fans were treated to a remarkably good game. Queen's won the match 7-5. Sellar and Hamilton scored two of the goals but the scorers of the other five goals are not known. The last ten minutes of the match was played in what was described as a blinding snowstorm.

While Queen's Park were in Alexandria, there was a crowd of 18,000 at Hampden Park for the Scottish Cup Final between 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers and Celtic. Both sides protested that the snow-covered pitch was unsuitable for a cup final and the game was played as a friendly. 3rd Lanark won 3-0.

Drawing of pavilion at Hampden Park before upper storey added

Queen's Park were south of the border on Saturday 9 February taking on old foes Notts County at Trent Bridge. The clubs had met on 19 previous occasions, with the English side winning only once. They were to fare no better on this occasion. The Queen's Park team was along the usual lines, with the exception of Walter Eadie stepping in for George Gillespie in goal. Despite facing a cold wind, the Spiders were two goals ahead in the first five minutes through Jimmy Hamilton and Tom Robertson. There was no more scoring in the opening 45 minutes but second half goals from Willie Berry (2), David Allan and Jimmy Hamilton gave Queen's a resounding 6-0 victory. While Queen's Park were in Nottingham, the Scottish Cup Final was re-run at Hampden Park. A crowd of 18,000 plus saw Third Lanark beat Celtic 3-1.

Queen's Park were not in action on Saturday 16 February. However, six Queen's players - Arnott, Berry, Gillespie, Robertson, Smellie and Stewart - were involved in International trial matches at Ibrox Park.

On Saturday 23 February 1889, five Queen's Park players - Walter Arnott, Willie Berry, Tom Robertson, Bob Smellie and Bill Sellar - were in the Glasgow side that went down to a surprise 5-3 defeat to East of Scotland at Powderhall in Edinburgh. Meanwhile, back at Hampden Park, Queen's Park met Dunblane before a crowd of around 5,000. Former Spiders' favourite Robert Christie turned out for Dunblane. Queen's won the game 6-1. Bob Fraser and David Allan put the Spiders two up at half-time. The second half scorers are less clear. Jimmy Hamilton may have scored a hat trick, with Bob Fraser scoring the other goal. One report attributed one of the Hamilton goals to Allan.

The first Saturday in March saw six Queen's Park players take part in a further International trial match at Cathkin Park. Walter Arnott, Bill Sellar, Bob Smellie and Allan Stewart played in the A side, and George Gillespie and David Allan in the B side. The match attracted a crowd of 7,000.

Season 1888/89
Back row (from left) - W M Anderson (Joint Treasurer), Robert Fraser, William Berry, G W Gillies (Match Secretary), David Allan, George Gillespie, William Sellar and James Allan (Joint Treasurer). Front row - Robert Paterson, John Harvie, James Macara, Allan Stewart, Tom Robertson, Robert Smellie and James Hamilton. (The players had to buy their own strips at that time, thus the variety of jerseys.)

On Saturday 9 March, Queen's Park were at Powderhall in Edinburgh facing St Bernard's. Queen's were without Tom Robertson, who was captaining Scotland in a 7-0 win over Ireland at Ibrox Park. Queen's opened the scoring through David Allan but St Bernard's then scored twice through Corson and Hutton to lead at the break. When David Allan was injured and unable to continue, matters looked bleak for the Spiders. However, after hitting the post twice, two goals in a minute from Willie Berry and Allan Stewart gave Queen's Park a 3-2 victory.

A week later, Queen's Park met Dumbarton at Hampden Park. A good game finished in a 1-1 draw. John Madden gave the visitors the lead in 20 minutes with a shot in off the post. Queen's equalised in 55 minutes when Willie Berry struck from 15 yards after a great passing move.

On 26 March 1889, Scottish Sport reported that a Queen's Park member, Mr T M'Laren Alexander, had recently discovered an interesting old letter in an unoccupied house. What he had found was the letter sent by Queen's Park secretary Robert Gardner in 1868 accepting the challenge received from the Thistle club. This was to be Queen's first ever match.

Glasgow beat London 5-1 at Hampden Park on Saturday 23 March. There were no Queen's Park men in the Glasgow side, although George Hector (Battlefield) and Donald Sillars and Woodville "Woody" Gray (both Pollokshields Athletic) featured. At the same time, Queen's Park were in action against East Stirlingshire at Merchiston Park in Falkirk. Queen's won 4-0 in dreadful weather, with heavy rain falling before and all through the game. Despite the conditions, a crowd of 2,000 turned out for the game. The opening goal came when goalkeeper Sharp threw the ball through his own goal in attempting to clear. Tom Robertson doubled the lead when he headed home an Allan corner kick. Bill Sellar and Willie Berry scored two further goals in the second half.

On the following Saturday, there was a crowd of around 2,500 at Hampden Park for the visit of Vale of Leven. The first half was goalless, although Vale should have been ahead. Queen's Park were much improved in the second half and scored three unanswered goals through David Allan, Jimmy Hamilton and Bill Sellar.

Queen's Park met Rangers at Ibrox Park on Saturday 6 April 1889. The 2,000 spectators saw Queen's press from the start and take an early lead through Willie Berry. David Allan then doubled the lead with a fine shot. Mackie pulled a goal back for the Light Blues but Jimmy Hamilton restored Queen's two goal lead before half time. Hamilton scored for a second time after the break and Rangers scored again towards the end to make the final score 4-2 for the Spiders. The second half of the match was very rough and Bob Fraser had to leave the field for a period after being badly winded.

On Saturday 13 April, Walter Arnott, Willie Berry and Bob Smellie were part of the Scotland team that beat England 3-2 at the Kennington Oval in London. On the same afternoon, what was described as a scratch Queen's Park side beat Dunblane 5-2 at Ducksburn Park. Two days later, Allan Stewart was a member of the Scotland side that laboured to a scoreless draw with Wales in Wrexham.

On the following Saturday, London Caledonians were the visitors to Hampden Park. They came with the reputation of having won at Everton but were no match for Queen's Park. The exiles, who included former Spiders John Lambie, Quintin Neill and Haldane Stewart in their line-up, suffered an 8-0 defeat. David Allan scored the opening goal but reports as to who got the other seven varied considerably from newspaper to newspaper.  Scottish Sport credited them to J Hamilton (2), Berry (2), Sellar, Fraser and Stewart.

After the defeat of the Caledonians, Queen's Park ventured south to play Aston Villa in Birmingham on the following Monday. George Gillespie and Bob Smellie were unable to travel and their places were taken by Michael Dolan (Uddingston) and John Harvie. A crowd of around 4,000 saw Queen's score four unanswered first half goals through Jimmy Hamilton, Willie Berry, Bill Sellar and Allan Stewart. Villa were better in the second period but their shooting was erratic. Albert Allen pulled a goal back for the Villans but, after going close several times, Jimmy Hamilton restored Queen's four goal lead. The Spiders scored a sixth and Villa got a second near the end to make the final score 6-2.

Five days later, Queen's Park took on English opposition once again when Preston North End travelled to Hampden Park. It was a lovely day and a crowd of over 10,000 was in attendance. Preston had the better of the first half and Jack Drummond shot high past George Gillespie to give them the lead in 35 minutes. Ten minutes into the second half, Bill Sellar fastened on to an Allan pass and fired home an unstoppable shot to tie the scores. Queen's now took control of the game and grabbed the lead in 80 minutes "amidst a scene of wild enthusiasm" after a fine passing move. Reports differed as to whether David Allan or Bill Sellar got the final touch. There was no further scoring and Queen's Park celebrated an unexpected win after a splendid afternoon's entertainment.

On 30 April, Robert "Bob" Christie left Central Station for Liverpool as he made his way to Ascension Island to take up an appointment as a civil engineer. At this point, he was walking with a stick and it appeared that his playing days were over.

On Saturday 4 May, Queen's Park had a 4-2 win over Vale of Leven before a crowd of around 1,500 in Alexandria. Queen's went into a three goal lead in the first half. The first was an Andrew Whitelaw own goal and David Allan got the second but the scorer of the third is not known. Alex Latta then pulled two goals back before half-time but Woody Gray added a fourth for the Spiders in the second half. Only a brilliant display by McLeod in the Vale goal kept the score down.

At the Annual Meeting of the SFA on Tuesday 7 May, Charles Campbell of Queen's Park was unanimously elected as President of the Association for the coming year.

Queen's Park and 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers met at Hampden Park on Saturday 11 May in the Glasgow Charity Cup semi-final. The weather on the day was good, if somewhat breezy, and the game attracted a crowd of up to 15,000. Before the start of the match, Third Lanark objected to Walter Arnott taking part, claiming he had played under the jurisdiction of another association without permission. Queen's Park, playing with the wind, were three up at half-time. Jimmy Hamilton opened the scoring with a outstanding goal, Bob Fraser got the second from close range and Hamilton headed the third. The Volunteers took full advantage of the wind and applied lots of pressure on the Queen's Park defence. Jimmy Oswald and Robert McFarlane reduced the Spiders' lead to a single goal and then, in the 89th minute, a William Johnston shot deflected off John Harvie for the equaliser. A replay would be required to separate the sides.

At a special meeting of the Charity Committee on the following Wednesday, 3rd LRV's protest against Walter Arnott playing in the Glasgow Charity Cup tie was dismissed. Walter had played at centre forward for the Ballina Associationists when on business in Ireland, scoring all seven of their goals in the process. The rule banning people who had played without permission for a team in another association only applied to the Scottish Cup. In any case, Ballina Associationists were not members of any association.

The Charity Cup semi-final replay went ahead in very warm weather at Hampden Park on Saturday 18 May with around 17,000 spectators in attendance. The Lord Provost of Glasgow, who was present at the game, expressed astonishment at the size of the crowd. There were a number of injuries in a very rough game. Queen's James Macara had two ribs broken early in the match but played on courageously. The Spiders took the lead in five minutes when Bill Sellar headed home an Arnott free kick. Two minutes later, Bob Fraser doubled the lead from a Jimmy Hamilton pass and, in 17 minutes, Hamilton himself hit a third. The score remained 3-0 at half-time. Queen's Park were largely in command in the second period but, in 75 minutes, Jimmy Hannah pulled a goal back for Third Lanark. Some then thought that the Volunteers might repeat the previous Saturday's comeback but it was not to be and Queen's Park progressed comfortably to the final of the competition. Passions had run high both on and off the pitch and there were several bouts of fisticuffs in the crowd.

On the following Thursday, Queen's Park played a team called Elcho Park at West Bay Park in Millport. Queen's won the match 6-1. The make-up of the Queen's Park side is not known. Also, nothing is known about Elcho Park, other than that it was apparently a Glasgow club.

The Glasgow Charity Cup Final took place at Hampden Park on Saturday 25 May 1889. Queen's Park's opponents in the final were Renton, who had defeated Celtic in the other semi-final. Despite the counter attraction of Celtic v Preston North End at Parkhead, there was a crowd of between 8,000 and 10,000 on a hot afternoon at Hampden. Queen's Park took the lead in 10 minutes through Bill Sellar after good work by Hamilton and Berry. Queen's were on top for much of the first half but Renton gradually improved and scored two quick goals before half-time through John Campbell and John Harvey. The Spiders equalised in 54 minutes through Jimmy Hamilton. It was end to end to the finish but there was no further scoring and a hard-fought game ended in a draw. Queen's had a goal controversially chalked off. The ball was adjudged to have been over the goal line before being crossed by Bill Sellar but the spectators who were in a position to see the incident insisted that the ball had not been out of play. The Queen's Park team that earned a replay was - George Gillespie; Walter Arnott and Robert Smellie; John Harvie, Allan Stewart and Tom Robertson; William Berry and Robert Fraser; James Hamilton; David Allan and William Sellar.

The Charity Cup Final replay took place at Hampden Park on Tuesday 28 May with a 6.15pm kick-off. The 8,000 spectators were treated to a game that was exciting from the start. An unchanged Queen's Park side had most of the early play but fell behind in 27 minutes when Jack McNee scored from a scrimmage in front of the posts. Bob Fraser missed two good chances for the Spiders before John Campbell doubled Renton's lead with a tremendous shot on the stroke of half-time. Queen's Park kept battling away but failed to make the most of their opportunities. Any hopes of a recovery were dashed when John Campbell increased the Dumbartonshire men's advantage with a fine shot after a defensive error. The Spiders finally got some reward for their efforts with a goal in the last minute of the ninety. The scorer is unclear but it may have been Jimmy Hamilton. There were great celebrations when the Renton team arrived home - winners of the Charity Cup for the fourth year in succession. The players were paraded round the village in a waggonette, accompanied by torch bearers and the Renton Brass Band, before being entertained in the village hall. The customary bonfire was lit on Carman Hill.

The Queen's Park Annual General Meeting took place at "the Rev. Fergus Ferguson's Church" in Crosshill on Wednesday 29 May. Over 100 members were present. The Match Secretary reported that the First Eleven had played 39 matches in the season, with 30 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses (162 goals for and 53 against). He described this as the best record of the season for the UK.

The disappointing defeat at the hands of Renton marked the finish of the regular season but it was not quite the end of the action for a number of the Queen's Park players. Several Queen's men were involved in matches played by what was described as the Scotland International Team against Aberdeenshire on Saturday 1 June and the Ayrshire Clubs on Tuesday 4 June. Also, the Evening Times reported that Queen's Park would play a match against Clydebank on Thursday 20 June in aid of Duntocher Brass Band. The outcome of the match is not known. Then, on Wednesday 26 June, a Glasgow Select, said to be composed mainly of Queen's Park players, beat Kirkintilloch Athletic 3-1 at Townhead Park.

The annual Queen's Park Sports also took place in the month of June, on Saturday 8 June to be precise. Queen's Park had lost £70 in staging the sports in the previous year and, once again, the attendance was disappointing, despite a high quality field. It appeared that the public had lost interest in football clubs' sports.

Queen's Park had decided to add a storey to the pavilion at Hampden Park and building was taking place during the close season.

Results 1888/89

First Eleven
25/08/1888 Dumbarton 0 Queen's Park 3
08/09/1888 Northern 2 Queen's Park 3 - Scottish Cup
11/09/1888 Queen's Park 3 Canadians 1
15/09/1888 Glasgow Thistle 1 Queen's Park 9 - Glasgow Cup
22/09/1888 Queen's Park 6 Glasgow Thistle 0 - Scottish Cup
29/09/1888 Hibernian 1 Queen's Park 7
06/10/1888 Cambuslang Hibernian 0 Queen's Park 4 - Glasgow Cup
13/10/1888 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 2 Queen's Park 1 - Scottish Cup
20/10/1888 Queen's Park 2 Dumbarton 2
27/10/1888 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 4 Queen's Park 2 - Scottish Cup replay
03/11/1888 Northern 5 Queen's Park 5 - Glasgow Cup
10/11/1888 Queen's Park 6 Northern 0 - Glasgow Cup replay
17/11/1888 Celtic 0 Queen's Park 2 - Glasgow Cup semi-final
24/11/1888 Queen's Park 5 Dumbarton Athletic 2
01/12/1888 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 0 Queen's Park 3
08/12/1888 Queen's Park 8 Partick Thistle 0 - Glasgow Cup Final
15/12/1888 Queen's Park 6 Cambuslang 3
22/12/1888 Queen's Park 3 Rangers 0
29/12/1888 Queen's Park 3 Hibernian 0
01/01/1889 Queen's Park 3 Corinthians 2
05/01/1889 Queen's Park 1 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 2
12/01/1889 Clyde 1 Queen's Park 6
26/01/1889 Queen's Park 8 Morton 0
02/02/1889 Vale of Leven 5 Queen's Park 7
09/02/1889 Notts County 0 Queen's Park 6
23/02/1888 Queen's Park 6 Dunblane 1
09/03/1889 St Bernard's 2 Queen's Park 3
16/03/1889 Queen's Park 1 Dumbarton 1
23/03/1889 East Stirlingshire 0 Queen's Park 4
30/03/1889 Queen's Park 3 Vale of Leven 0
06/04/1889 Rangers 2 Queen's Park 4
20/04/1889 Queen's Park 8 London Caledonians 0
22/04/1889 Aston Villa 2 Queen's Park 6
27/04/1889 Queen's Park 2 Preston North End 1
04/05/1889 Vale of Leven 2 Queen's Park 4
11/05/1889 Queen's Park 3 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 3 - Glasgow Charity Cup
18/05/1889 Queen's Park 3 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 1 - Glasgow Charity Cup replay
25/05/1889 Queen's Park 2 Renton 2 - Glasgow Charity Cup Final
27/05/1889 Queen's Park 1 Renton 3 - Glasgow Charity Cup Final replay

Second Eleven - The Strollers
08/09/1888 Strollers 5 2nd 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 3 - Scottish Second XI Cup
15/09/1888 King's Park 5 Strollers 3
22/09/1888 2nd 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 3 Strollers 5 - Scottish 2nd XI Cup
29/09/1888 Strollers 2 2nd Vale of Leven 1 - Scottish Second XI Cup
06/10/1888 Maybole 11 Strollers 4
13/10/1888 Strollers 3 2nd 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 4 (score unclear)
20/10/1888 Strollers 3 2nd Clyde 3 - Scottish Second XI Cup
27/10/1888 2nd Clyde 1 Strollers 4 - Scottish Second XI Cup replay
03/11/1888 Strollers 9 2nd Hibernian ?
17/11/1888 Alloa Athletic 3 Strollers 5
01/12/1888 Strollers 1 2nd Renton 2 - Scottish Second XI Cup
15/12/1888 Kirkintilloch Athletic 3 Strollers 0
29/12/1888 Notts County Reserves 2 Strollers 2
01/01/1889 Aston Villa Reserves 5 Strollers 3
05/01/1889 2nd 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers 0 Strollers 4
19/01/1889 Falkirk 2 Strollers 2
26/01/1889 2nd Dumbarton 2 Strollers 1
09/02/1889 Ayr Athletic 4 Strollers 3
16/02/1889 Strollers 9 Milngavie 0
02/03/1889 Stevenston Thistle 1 Strollers 7
16/03/1889 Newmilns ARV 4 Strollers 3
23/03/1889 Irvine 2 Strollers 2
30/03/1889 2nd Vale of Leven 5 Strollers 2
22/04/1889 Moffat 2 Strollers 6
04/05/1889 Alloa Athletic 2 Strollers 3

Third Eleven - The Hampden Eleven
01/09/1888 Clackmannan 2 Hampden Eleven 6
22/09/1888 Ardrossan Ensign 4 Hampden Eleven 2
27/10/1888 2nd Falkirk 4 Hampden Eleven 4
10/11/1888 Bearsden 1 Hampden Eleven 6
24/11/1888 Carron Athletic 2 Hampden Eleven 9
01/01/1889 Aberdeen 1 Hampden Eleven 6
19/01/1889 East Kilbride 1 Hampden Eleven 6
26/01/1889 Kilmarnock Athletic Strollers 0 Hampden Eleven 6
16/02/1889 Dalry 0 Hampden Eleven 5
23/02/1889 Kilbarchan 3 Hampden Eleven 3
02/03/1889 Bridge of Allan 2 Hampden Eleven 8
09/03/1889 Stenhousemuir 0 Hampden Eleven 4
16/03/1889 King's Park (Beith) 1 Hampden Eleven 2
23/03/1889 Ardrossan Ensign 1 Hampden Eleven 5
30/03/1889 Hampden Eleven 3 Oban 1
06/04/1889 2nd Alloa Athletic 0 Hampden Eleven 5
13/04/1889 Linlithgow Athletic 1 Hampden Eleven 9
20/04/1889 Campbeltown v Hampden Eleven (score not known)

Other Matches
11/08/1888 Milton Rovers 1 Queen's Park XI 5
13/04/1889 Dunblane 2 Queen's Park XI 5
23/05/1889 Elcho Park 1 Queen's Park XI 6

Representative Matches
19/01/1889 Glasgow 8 Sheffield 1
23/02/1889 East of Scotland 5 Glasgow 3
09/03/1889 Scotland 7 Ireland 0
13/04/1889 England 2 Scotland 3
15/04/1889 Wales 0 Scotland 0