Relegation - an unwelcome first
Increasingly, the 'amateurs' found it difficult to compete against their professional counterparts and at the end of season 1921-22, the club experienced relegation for the very first time, having finished second bottom in a league of 22 clubs. The special dispensation which protected the club from taking the drop into the second division, no longer applied.
Life in Division Two was short lived and a year later they returned to the upper tier of the Scottish League as newly crowned second division champions, winning 24 of their 38 games. They remained in division one up until the outbreak of World War Two.
Major structural changes to the Scottish league took place during the war years. Rationing of fuel and travel restrictions meant clubs could no longer travel freely to fulfil fixtures. Also, all clubs experienced depletion of its staff as players and officials went to war or took up essential wartime work. As war raged in Europe and further afield, football had to take a back seat.Throughout the war years, regional competitions were set-up around Scotland. Although these leagues were unofficial, they did provide some diversion for a population ravaged by war as well as being a vehicle to help raise much needed funds for the war effort too.
Queen's Park entered the Scottish Southern league. The club fielded youngsters to replace those who had left to go to war. It even managed to field its distinguished reserve side - the 'Strollers'.
Despite no formal reserve football being during this period the 'Strollers' played 'friendlies'. By the time the war ended, those youngsters had grown into competent players. Players such as Tommy Gallacher (pictured above) the son of Celtic legend, Patsy, were more than ready for league football.
