Team pictures

With the introduction of the three league set up two seasons before, and the reduction of teams in each league, the powers that ran Scottish League Football came up with the bizarre system of teams playing each other THREE times in a season in the two lower divisions, with the Premier League clubs playing the more sensible four times.

The old league cup section format was also scrapped and two leg ties brought in to replace it.

Arbroath went on a Highland tour in late July, and played three matches, Keith 5-0 (Bone 3, 1 pen, Yule, Trialist), Elgin City 3-2 (Bone 2, Yule), and Buckie Thistle 5-1 (Bone 3, 1 pen, Fletcher, Yule), before entertaining Aberdeen 1-3 (Kydd pen), and Dundee Utd 0-2.

In the league Arbroath would be inconsistent and not seriously challenge for the title and promotion to the Premier League. This even more so when prolific striker Jimmy Bone was transferred to St Mirren in February for £30,000.

In the League Cup, after a 1st round bye, Arbroath faced Raith Rvs., and a 1-0 (Bone) victory at Kirkcaldy was followed by 3-1 (Cargill, Bone 2) at home saw the club progress to the next round 4-2 on aggregate. Dundee Utd were the next opponents for the lichties, and proved to be too strong for Arbroath, who lost 0-4 at home and 1-2 (Mitchell) at Tannadice.

		pts	home	scorers	away	scorers
1	Morton.	58	1-2	Carson.	2-1	Bone, Kidd.
			2-2	Fletcher, Cargill.
2	Hearts.	58	0-7		2-3	Carson, Wells.
			0-1
3	Dundee.	57	0-0		3-2	Philip o.g., Dodds, Fettes.
					0-2
4	Dumbarton.	49	2-2	Yule, Carson.	0-1
			1-1	Cargill.
5	Stirling Alb.	42	1-3	Kydd.	0-0
					0-0
6	Kilmarnock.	40	2-2	Bone (pen), Fletcher.	0-3
			1-0	Kydd.
7	Hamilton A.	36	2-1	Fletcher 2.	1-3	Cargill.
			3-0	Bone , Fletcher, Fettes.
8	St. Johnstone.	36	2-2	Bone 2 (1 pen).	1-2	Kidd (pen).
			0-1
9	Arbroath.	35
10	Airdrie.	34	1-0	Sinclair.	1-1	Fletcher.
					1-2	Kidd.
11	Montrose.	29	0-3		1-2	Bone.
					0-1
12	Q.O.S.	29	3-1	Bone, Fletcher, Kidd.	2-1	Fletcher, Yule.
					1-0	McMillan o.g.
13	Alloa Ath.	24	2-0	McKenzie, Kidd.	1-1	Cargill.
					0-0
14	East Fife.	19	2-2	Bone, Yule.	0-0
			1-0	Fletcher.

Motherwell visited Gayfield in the Scottish Cup 3rd round and recorded a 4-0 win to end the lichties interest in that tournament. One other match was a friendly at Love Street 0-2, which was possibly part of the deal which took Bone to Paisley.