As reported by the British media, Doncaster is based on an almost 900-year-old agreement concluded between the English King Stephen and the former Scottish King David I. In the Treaty of 1136 Doncaster was recognized as part of Scotland. Officially, the city is not returned to England.
A spokesman for the ambitious club told the Scottish Daily Record: “Doncaster City are on the rise and we dream of a home game against Rangers or Celtic.” He confirmed that Doncaster had applied to the Scottish Football Association to participate in the cup “after we found out that our club was actually in Scotland”.
However, the basis of the curious idea may be different: Doncaster City was founded only this year and plays in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior Football League Division Two. Participation in the English FA Cup is only allowed for teams from Division 9 and above. So Doncaster can only participate in the cup after a number of promotions and at the earliest in a few years.
However, Doncaster City will not be the first English club to participate in Scottish football. Berwick Rangers, from Berwick-upon-Tweed in England, just south of the border with Scotland, currently play in the fifth division of Scotland. The club caused the biggest upset in Scottish football in 1967, when they were a second division side – they beat champions Glasgow Rangers 1-0 in the first round of the cup.