Cup runneth Under
'WELL'S CUP RUNNETH UNDER
Since that glorious May day in 1991, the cup exploits in Scotland of the boys in claret and amber have been somewhat less than inspiring, to say the least! In those 9 seasons (1991-92 to 1999-2000), despite always being in the top division and with an average league placing of 6th, 'Well have reached but 5 quarter-finals, never progressing further. This is a very poor record for a team who has remained in the top league during this period.
The table below (except for the '92-'93 and '93-'94 Scottish Cups, for which I can't find records) shows the achievements of the various teams:
CUP APPEARANCES: QUARTER-FINAL OR BETTER
| Team | No. | Cups | Finalists |
| Rangers | 17 | 9 | 2 |
| Celtic | 15 | 3 | 2 |
| Dundee Utd | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| Hearts | 13 | 1 | 2 |
| Aberdeen | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| Hibernian | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| Airdrie | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| Falkirk | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| St Johnstone | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Kilmarnock | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Ayr United | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Dundee | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Raith Rovers | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Motherwell | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Dunfermline | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Partick Thistle | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Morton | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Inverness Caley Th. | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ross County | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Stenhousemuir | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Stirling Albion | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| St Mirren | 1 | 0 | 0 |
In a decade where Airdrie (yes, Airdrie) have reached 8 (yes, 8!) quarter-finals and two finals, and Falkirk, Ayr and Raith have better records than 'Well, what is the reason for this poor spell, especially after the glory of '91? I'm sure all 'Well fans would like to know. It's all very well to say that the consistency of the league must be top priority, but a little cup glory wouldn't go amiss, and hopefully sooner rather than later. It's especially baffling given 'Well's famed lack of consistency over the seasons, as one would think that they could at least put together one or two runs of inspired form? Of the 19 Cup defeats since the Scottish Cup win, 9 have been at home, including losses to Alloa, Ayr (twice), Aberdeen (twice) and Airdrie. Maybe we should hope for teams who don't start with the letter A!
Garry Paterson(Pretoria, South Africa)
'Well below the equator
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