the gershon cup

The Gershon Cup was played for during the 1890's between the three clubs that went on to form the current Aberdeen FC. Victoria United, Aberdeen, and Orion were by far the biggest and most professional local clubs and when The Glasgow Clothing Company came to the city their representative, Mr. A. J. Gershon, decided to promote the company by donating a Cup with the winners allowed to keep the prize permanently.
Over four season he donated three trophies and the one pictured here was won by Victoria United when they beat Aberdeen 4-1 on the 21st of March in 1896. Orion were the winners on the other three occasions.

The trophy we have pictured sits in the boardroom where it arrived in 1978 courtesy of Mr Jack Reid, a former captain of the Aberdeen University football team, and Charlie Davidson, a descendant of Jim Ririe. Jim was the captain of Victoria United, and when the club was wound up prior to the amalgamation in 1903 with Orion and Aberdeen, senior players were given club assets. Jim was handed the 1895-96 Gershon Trophy and it was kept in his family till its arrival at Pittodrie in about 1978, where it is now proudly on show in the Club's boardroom.