Celtic have scored in 23 consecutive matches against Kilmarnock, the longest such run in that fixture, St Johnstone have lost only once in 21 league matches, Inverness CT are on the longest unbeaten league run in the country (19 games) and only 3 of the 58 league meetings between Stenhousemuir and Morton have ever ended in a draw!

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Premiership

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The Stats Packs will continue this season as a subscriber-only feature. You can view the first pre-match Stats Pack of the season here; it was published on Friday.

Goal of the Week

Which of the following four SPFL goals was your favourite from the opening weekend?

Goal 1: Thelo Aasgaard Vs Dundee United

Goal 2: Ibrahim Said Vs Hibernian

Goal 3: Robbie Muirhead Vs Queen’s Park

Goal 4: Stuart Bannigan Vs Montrose

Undefeated and Winless Streaks

Inverness CT now lead the SPFL undefeated table with a 19-match unbeaten league run. St Johnstone and Partick Thistle are close behind on 15. Celtic have won eight consecutive league matches, including the final seven of last season as they secured the title in the closing minutes of the campaign.

Top 10 current SPFL undefeated streaks (league matches only, includes last season):

Greenock Morton, Peterhead and Montrose share the SPFL’s longest current winless league run, with each club having gone six matches without a victory.

Dundee United are five league matches without a win following their poor end to last season. However, their draw with Rangers at Tannadice extended their unbeaten top-flight home run to eight matches.

Top 10 current SPFL winless streaks (league matches only, includes last season):

Opening Day Record

The next two graphics show the 10 clubs with the longest current unbeaten opening-day runs and the 10 with the longest current opening-day winless runs.

Each graphic shows the club’s current sequence alongside its all-time best or worst record. Celtic share the longest active unbeaten opening-day run, having won their first league match in each of the past five seasons. Their club record is 21 consecutive league openers without defeat, a sequence ended by Hearts in 2021/22. It’s also six years since either of Motherwell or Dundee United were beaten in the first league game of the campaign.

At the other end, Dundee have the longest current opening-day winless run among the 42 SPFL clubs. Their 10 consecutive seasons without winning their first league match is also their club record.

Feature of the Week:
Hearts concede twice in 5 minutes

Hearts could set an unwanted Scottish record against Benfica on Thursday.

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Scottish football’s controlled alcohol experiment will expand in 2026/27 after 20 SPFL trial matches and two Scotland friendlies passed without a single alcohol-related disorder incident being reported to police.

Ten clubs took part during 2025/26: Aberdeen, Motherwell, St Mirren, St Johnstone, Dunfermline Athletic, Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Stirling Albion, Arbroath and Queen of the South.

The programme began with lower-risk Premier Sports Cup group matches last July. It then moved into selected Premiership and Championship fixtures during the winter, with alcohol sold in restricted concourses, fan zones and specific stands under temporary licences.

Attendances at the 20 SPFL matches totalled 96,938. Adding Scotland’s friendlies against Japan and Curaçao at Hampden brought the combined gate to 186,015. However, that figure of nearly 200,000 is not the total number of fans that had access to alcohol, as this was restricted to designated areas.

The same distinction in total attendance Vs access to alcohol applies to the SPFL attendance total, too. Sales varied between restricted concourses, fan zones and selected stands - although a complete breakdown of how many supporters could buy alcohol at each ground was not released.

Even with that limitation, the absence of any reported alcohol-related disorder across the programme gives clubs their strongest evidence in decades for a controlled relaxation of the restrictions introduced in 1981.

Why The Desire to Sell Alcohol?

It goes without saying that Scotland’s relationship with alcohol requires any change to be approached carefully. There were 1,185 alcohol-specific deaths registered in 2024, with the mortality rate in the most deprived areas of Scotland 4.5 times that of the least deprived.

Public Health Scotland also recorded 29,430 hospital admissions for conditions wholly attributable to alcohol in 2024/25. The Scottish Health Survey found that 20% of adults drank at hazardous or harmful levels in 2024.

Although those figures justify firm safeguards around any expansion of alcohol sales at football, it is clear that the outright ban, brought in over 40 years ago, on alcohol sales at football grounds should be reviewed.

Perhaps the key point in the debate is that the negative effect that alcohol can have on Scottish society does not prohibit the sale of alcohol at other sports across our country.

The pilot schemes provide evidence of how sales can operate within a controlled environment. Alcohol was restricted to selected concourses, fan zones and stands, generally at lower-risk fixtures and under conditions agreed with local licensing boards. Staff could apply age checks, refuse service and stop sales at a specified time.

Matchday drinking already takes several forms for football fans. Scottish Government roundtable minutes acknowledged that alcohol is available in hospitality areas and that many supporters travel directly to grounds from nearby pubs and bars.

Anecdotally, many readers will know that bottles and hip-flasks are often smuggled into stadiums, although there is obviously no official figures to show how often this happens. Police Scotland have released images of their findings after matches in recent years to demonstrate its prevalence.

It cannot be said definitively whether a relaxing of the ban would change this behaviour. However it would undoubtedly provide an option to the fans that want to drink during a game. Instead of choosing to illegally bring alcohol into the ground, some may decide they’d rather buy and consume alcohol legally inside the stadium.

Licensed sales area gives clubs control over age, serving times, drink strength, quantity and refusal of service. It may also encourage supporters to arrive earlier rather than fitting in as much drinking as is humanly possible before leaving the pub just in time to make kick-off. There is an obvious positive knock-on effect for the clubs, were that to be the case. More fans in the ground earlier would likely result in more money through the tills for the clubs through catering sales.

This is the biggest and most obvious incentive for the clubs, the clear commercial incentive. Stand by for back of a fag packet calculations here, but if we give a rough assumption that 25% of the crowd would buy one £5 alcoholic or alcohol-free pint at each home match, Aberdeen could generate around £439,000 in additional annual sales based on 20 home games over the course of a season. That figure would equal approximately 2% of the club’s latest turnover.

If we do the same for other clubs, Motherwell’s equivalent estimate is just over £200,000, or 2.9% of their revenue. Celtic’s larger support produces potential sales of almost £1.5 million with these example figures, although that represents only 1% of the club’s most recent Champions League bloated turnover.

The lower down the leagues we go, the lower the numbers we are dealing with, due to the smaller average crowds. However when margins are so tight in Scottish football, any additional revenue worth tens of thousands of pounds per year would be greatly appreciated by numerous clubs further down the pyramid.

Lastly, and most importantly, many match-going fans have expressed a desire to decide for themselves, of their own free will, whether to buy a pint at the game. Feedback has shown that many fans believe that it would improve the match-going experience and have lamented the fact that the Scottish government has continued with an outright ban originating from the early 80s.

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SPFL Doing Their Bit

The policy of allowing these alcohol trials has developed alongside demands from external authorities for stronger action against pyrotechnics, pitch incursions and other supporter misconduct.

An internal Scottish Government briefing credited the SPFL with working alongside ministers, Police Scotland and football safety officers to address disorder. It highlighted ticket reductions imposed on clubs, the league’s support for a review of Football Banning Orders and increased club involvement.

The SPFL’s approach was described as providing “both carrot and stick”, with controlled alcohol sales forming the positive side of a wider attempt to improve the matchday experience.

While the arrangement has never been announced as a formal quid pro quo, we can infer from all public discourse on the matter that greater freedom for responsible supporters - i.e. alcohol sales in stadia - will advance alongside firmer sanctions for clubs whose fans engage in dangerous conduct such as flare usage and pitch invasions.

That connection can be made if we look at the Scottish Government’s football roundtable in December 2024, when Pyrotechnics and alcohol sales were discussed consecutively. The SPFL warned that pyro use was worsening, backed stronger links between offences and banning orders, and outlined educational work with the SPFL Trust. It then proposed using Police Scotland’s existing classification of lower-risk matches to identify fixtures suitable for alcohol sales.

The league has since imposed fines, ticket reductions and suspended stand closures for pyrotechnics and pitch incursions. The most recent sanctions announced in June covered Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hamilton Academical, Motherwell, Celtic and Stenhousemuir. Earlier cases had already led to reduced allocations for several clubs.

However, the independent review into the disorder at the Rangers Vs Celtic Scottish Cup quarter-final concluded that sanctions across the Scottish FA and SPFL were too modest, too often suspended and too inconsistently applied to provide an effective deterrent. It highlighted Greenock Morton’s suspended 50% closure issued by the SFA - in a stadium with an average crowd of less than 25% of capacity.

The Next Steps

As a result of the successful trials, the programme takes another step this season at several clubs. Aberdeen have secured a permanent licence for the lower concourse of the Richard Donald Stand. Sales will be permitted until 30 minutes before kick-off at lower-risk matches, beginning with today’s Premiership opener against Hearts. Drinks must remain in monitored areas out of sight of the pitch, which is the same rules enforced in England where alcohol sales are permitted.

Alan Burrows, Aberdeen FC chief executive: “We are pleased to have secured a permanent alcohol licence for matchdays at Pittodrie.

Supporter feedback has consistently highlighted the value of providing a more modern and flexible stadium experience. We have worked closely with the relevant authorities to ensure the necessary safeguards and operating procedures are in place.

The Club is grateful for the positive feedback from supporters about how previous alcohol licence trials had improved the matchday experience and we look forward to introducing this enhancement.”

Dundee will apply for licences on a match-by-match basis after controlled sales during this summer’s Premier Sports Cup group stage. If approved, supporters in the Bobby Cox and Bob Shankly stands will be able to buy alcohol before selected lower-risk games.

St Johnstone have received permission for sales around Sunday’s Premiership match against Kilmarnock. Alcohol will be available behind the East Stand before kick-off and at half-time. The club intends to pursue further applications individually throughout the season.

Other Premiership clubs are expected to come forward, although their plans have yet to be confirmed. The general restrictions remain in place, with licensing boards and Police Scotland assessing every application. Expansion will continue through low-risk fixtures, tightly controlled areas and local licensing conditions.

Last season produced encouraging evidence within those limits. The new season sees this continued and built upon, as we hopefully move one step closer to a total lifting of the ban. Widespread disorder and fan misbehaviour will only set this back, and we can expect to see the implementation of tougher sanctions for this - especially after the recommendations of the independent enquiry.

Thanks very much for paying me for the time and effort that goes into this website. It’s greatly appreciated!

Scotland's Coefficient is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This season, I will be continuing with the Stats Packs, only for paid subscribers, but with the following improvements:

• Stats pack will no longer be purely text, and will now consist of at least 21 graphics - one for each match across the SPFL.

• Stats pack will contain the average xG in the fixture over the last few years, for the fixtures in which I have enough data

• “Top scorer in the fixture” will be since 1990 for the Premiership and since 2000 for the lower three tiers

Rangers will become only the second club in the 130-year history of Scotland’s top flight to begin six consecutive seasons with six different managers.
Kilmarnock hold the record with seven from 2014/15 to 2020/21.

Premiership

Only three of the 42 clubs in the SPFL have an opening-day win record greater than 50%; Hearts (54%), Rangers (62%) and Celtic (85%).

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For the Premiership, of course, we know only the first 33 rounds. The five post-split fixtures will be announced in April 2027, after each club has completed its first 33 matches.

The split keeps the season at 38 matches. Without it, all 12 teams playing the other 11 sides four times would produce a 44-match campaign. That would be too demanding, especially for clubs in European competition, and far longer than most European top flights, some of which play only 32 league games.

It is European competition that massively restricts the windows available for domestic football more than ever. This season for example, 10 fixture rounds have been set aside for the UEFA league phases, removing four slots from previous SPFL calendars. The pressure on the schedule is highlighted by the fact the first completely clear midweek in Scottish football this season isn’t until 22/23 December. The expansion of UEFA’s calendar is the main reason we no longer have a winter break in Scotland and are unlikely to ever regain one under the current format.

I am a fan of the split, and a big part of that is the drama it creates. In the run-up to the split, teams fight to secure a place in the top six; after it, every round pits teams against direct rivals for important positions in the division. Last season, the SPFL was able to schedule a final-day title showdown between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park, after both were involved in a three-way title race when the post-split fixtures were revealed.

Last season’s TV figures were healthy too, with Sky Sports reporting that total Premiership viewing rose by 22% year-on-year to 28 million viewer hours. Closely fought title races with dramatic finishes undoubtedly help, while Sky’s increased interest and growing number of broadcasts should bring more eyes to Scottish football.

Sky Sports figure of 22% measures total viewer hours. The average audience per match hasn’t been revealed, and therefore some of the growth may simply reflect the increased number of broadcasts. The average viewing figures over the years are shown below, with a nominal 20% increase included for 2025/26. We will not know the actual average until the SPFL releases its accounts later in the year.

The Fixtures

Historically, Premiership pairings have been ‘flipped’ by the SPFL from one season to the next. For example, if Dundee United played Aberdeen at Tannadice in the first 11 rounds last season, the corresponding fixture would be at Pittodrie in the first 11 rounds this time.

However, following discussions with the Competitions Working Group and to “provide more flexibility in the Premiership fixture list”, the guarantee that pairings would be flipped applies only to the Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow derbies this season. The opening Old Firm game is therefore at Celtic Park and the first Edinburgh derby is at Easter Road; last season, the first meetings were at Ibrox and Tynecastle respectively.

This article explains what goes into the ‘supercomputer’ for the first 33 rounds of matches before detailing what the post-split fixtures will look like for each team.

SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster: “We are thrilled that our main broadcast partner Sky Sports are showing all six William Hill Premiership matches live across the opening weekend in what is a first for Scottish football. We greatly value Sky Sports’ support of our game, which saw more live games than ever before shown last season.

This is the SPFL’s 11th season working with US-based company GotSport to produce the annual fixture list. GotSport works with leagues and governing bodies around the world, including those in France, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark and Greece, as well as CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, Liga MX and the CBF in Brazil.

There is a common misconception that the fixtures are entirely random, leaving some fans to air their cynicism that “the supercomputer magically won’t have the Old Firm playing each other on the opening weekend”. That specific fixture has not opened the league season since it did so twice in the 1970s because the schedule is not random, and is openly constructed around agreed constraints

The SPFL provides GotSport with a range of criteria and restrictions, which can change from season to season. GotSport uses its optimisation software to generate several versions of the fixture list that meet those requirements, which are then refined before a final decision is made for each division.

One obvious restriction is that city rivals such as Celtic and Rangers, Hearts and Hibs, or Dundee and Dundee United cannot be at home on the same day. Those pairings are treated as ‘opposites’ when the fixtures are compiled. There are, however, numerous other stipulations, including specific requests from clubs and Police Scotland.

Fixture Stipulations

Some stipulations concern the timing of particular matches. The SPFL may provide specific weekends for Old Firm games, for example, or ensure that an Edinburgh derby is played over the festive period.

Clubs can also submit requests each year.

For example, if a club is carrying out work on its pitch, it may ask to begin the season away from home in case the work is not complete by the opening weekend. Kilmarnock have replaced their artificial pitch with grass this summer, while Dumbarton are moving in the opposite direction, from grass to artificial. Both teams are away in their first fixture - at their request.

Even without any other fixture constraints, it is mathematically impossible for every team to alternate between home and away matches all season. The SPFL therefore tries to limit the number of ‘doubles’ each team has: two consecutive home fixtures or two consecutive away fixtures.

There are also five Premiership midweek rounds, which are less attractive to home clubs because attendances tend to be lower than at weekend matches. The SPFL has therefore ensured that every club has either two or three home games across those five dates, rather than any club getting four out of five at home.

Also, every Premiership club that had only 16 home games before the split last season will have 17 this season. Having 17 pre-split home fixtures is an advantage in that it guarantees a club 19 home games by the end of the campaign. Only clubs with 16 pre-split home fixtures are at risk of finishing with an 18-home, 20-away split.

Lastly, any club involved in the play-off round of a UEFA competition in August can again postpone its third William Hill Premiership fixture without requiring the agreement of its opponent.

This policy was introduced last season, and the Competitions Working Group unanimously agreed to continue it in the hope that it can help Scottish clubs reach the league phase of UEFA competitions.

All five European entrants have taken up the option. Celtic, Hearts and Rangers are guaranteed to be involved in a play-off round, so their matches will be postponed. Motherwell’s and Hibs’ fixtures will be moved only if those clubs reach the Conference League play-off round, with Hibs facing a two goal deficit they must overturn tomorrow night to keep their campaign alive.

Postponed matches will be rescheduled for the first exclusive matchweek of a UEFA competition for which the club did not qualify. Clubs that qualify for the Europa League or Conference League will therefore play their postponed league match during the exclusive Champions League midweek of 8/9 September. If they reach the Champions League, the rearranged fixture will be played during the exclusive Europa League midweek of 15/16 September.

The confirmation deadline is new this year. It was introduced after Rangers initially requested the postponement of last season’s match against St. Mirren, before then-manager Russell Martin suggested in a post-match interview that they might withdraw the request and play the match after all in the hope of developing some cohesion in his new team. They played the match in the end, drawing 1-1, thanks to a late Findlay Curtis equaliser.

Post-Split Balance

One of the main disadvantages of the split format is its inability to guarantee every team 19 home and 19 away games. A specific fixture can, and often is, played three times at one club’s ground and only once at the other’s.

This causes predictable ‘controversy’ online every year, normally fuelled by misleading headlines suggesting that a title challenger will be unscrupulously sent to a venue perceived as difficult for a third time.

Now that rounds 1–33 have been released, we can determine how many home games each club will be due after the split and which teams it would host if both finish in the same half of the table.

This graphic shows how many home games the club will play before the split, and therefore how many they are ‘due’ after the split. It also lists which teams ‘should’ visit them after the split, but it of course depends who ends in the top six.

Each team will play either two or three home games after the split, depending entirely on which clubs finish in each half. We can already say with certainty, for example, that the post-split Old Firm match will be at Ibrox and the final Edinburgh derby will be at Tynecastle if the clubs involved finish in the same half. The SPFL guarantees that none of the three city derbies will be flipped.

Celtic

Hearts

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Scottish clubs have long struggled to retain their best players. It is a sad reality of modern football that every Scottish club is a ‘selling club’. But since Brexit, that challenge to even keep hold of academy players has become even more of an issue.

Brexit has meant that English clubs can no longer recruit most 16 and 17-year-olds from European academies, and FIFA regulations generally prohibit any sort of international transfers involving players under 18.

Scottish teenagers, meanwhile, continue to move across the UK border at 16. Faced with a smaller recruitment pool, these incredibly wealthy English academies have pivoted their recruitment strategy, away from Europe into taking what will be seen as risk free ‘gambles’ in recruiting the best young players from Scotland.

Of course, the flow of talent south does predate the implementation of Brexit (2020), for example Billy Gilmour left Rangers for Chelsea shortly after turning 16 in 2017. Since then though we have had numerous and continuous examples of this, including Josh Adam moving from Celtic to Manchester City, Ben Doak from Celtic to Liverpool, Rory Wilson from Rangers to Aston Villa and Dylan Reid from St Mirren to Crystal Palace. That list continues to grow year after year, and it affects all clubs.

This isn’t a slight on the youngsters that make the move. For the players and their families, the attraction is obvious. English clubs can offer salaries, facilities and a level of financial security that most Scottish sides cannot provide.

Professional football is a precarious career and every family knows how quickly injury, form or a change of manager can close the door and send their kids to the back of the dole queue. Turning down a potentially life-changing contract would be a huge gamble, and requires a great deal of faith in a pathway into professional first team football in Scottish football that may never materialise.

Nobody should blame a 16-year-old, or their parents, for taking that opportunity, and instead Scottish football must concentrate on giving them a convincing non-financial reason to stay. As it stands, many of the best youngsters choose to take that financial route - but for many this can be looked back upon the start of the end of their careers in football.

Disappearing into Academy Football

Of course, a move to England can work. Gilmour and Doak have both played at the highest level and are regular starters for the national team. There will also be plenty of Scottish youngsters that have benefited from better coaching, sports science and full-time facilities down south, and some will use that to carve a better career in the game than they might have done had they stayed in Scotland.

However that appears to be the exception, rather than the rule.

The Scottish FA’s extensive “Transition Phase Report” in 2024 included research into 1,223 players who left their country of development between the ages of 16 and 17. Only 13.1 per cent had played for the recruiting club by the age of 23. Just 23 of the 1,223 went on to make more than 50 appearances for that club.

An even more damning statistic; 81.6 per cent had made no professional appearance before turning 19. By 23, four out of five were playing at a lower level than the club which had recruited them as teenagers.

A talented player can leave Scotland at 16, spend several seasons moving between under-18 and under-21 teams, then reach the end of his contract with very little - or zeo - experience of competitive senior football.

Instead, a spell playing senior football in the lower leagues can be immensely valuable. The Scottish FA report found a strong pattern among players who eventually reached elite level.

None of the 33 players in its sample made their senior debut after turning 18, while 15 gained their first experience in the lower divisions of their domestic pyramid. The level of that first opportunity appeared less important than simply being given that opportunity to play senior football.

The report also cited analysis which found that around 80% of players involved in the Champions League quarter-finals were already playing adult football by the age of 17.

While those stats would indicate that as a country we should be giving youth a chance and letting them play, it’s fair to point out that correlation does not necessarily mean causation.

These Champions League Quarter Finalists may only have got the chance to play by the age of 17 as a consequence of exceptional ability. And as we’ll see later in the article from the list of youngest players to play in Scotland, being given a chance at 15 or 16 years old doesn’t guarantee a succesful career.

However research has proven, that the period between 16 and 18 is when talented academy players need to begin encountering senior football, whether with their parent club, through a loan or, as of last season, under Scotland’s new cooperation system.

Look at the Scotland squad at the recent World Cup. At least a third made their senior debut in football at a level below the top flight, including captain Andy Robertson, formerly of Queen’s Park. Difficult early experiences in these leagues, playing competitive football against men can accelerate a teen’s education in a way that another ‘comfortable’ season of academy football rarely will.

One Barrier Removed

In January 2026, then Rangers head coach Danny Röhl wanted to involve 15-year-olds Kyle Glasgow and Ashton Scally in a Scottish Cup tie against Annan Athletic. In a post-match interview he lamented the competition rules prevented him from doing so.

Well, that barrier has now been partially removed - from SPFL competitions at least.

Under the 2025/26 SPFL regulations, players had to be at least 16 to appear in either a league match or the League Cup. Reports this week suggested the SPFL would change the rules later this week, but actually the SPFL regulations for the new season were updated last month, on the 10th June, reducing the minimum age to 15 in both competitions.

This rule change may end up having no effect whatsoever on the pathway to the first team across Scottish football. But this summer has shown signs of encouragement - with four SPFL clubs playing the youngest player in their respective histories.

Of course it goes without saying most 15-year-olds will be physically and perhaps emotionally unprepared for senior football, and clubs retain a duty to protect them. Their selection should absolutely depend on maturity as well as ability, but the studies show that this selection is needed if they are to make it in football.

Unlike the SPFL, the SFA’s Scottish Cup regulations for 2026/27 continue to state that a player must be at least 16 years old. That’s unfortunate because cup ties - as demonstrated by Rohl at Rangers - often provide the most realistic opportunities for very young players at our top clubs.

The Scottish FA has already acknowledged the wider problem. Its transition report concluded that Scotland trails comparable nations for minutes given to young players at every level of the professional game. The SFA subsequently introduced the cooperation system, allowing eligible 16-to-21-year-olds to move between a parent club and a lower-league partner in search of senior football.

A further SFA review of youth development has examined the pathway from grassroots football into the professional game. Logically then, hopefully the Scottish Cup is brought into line with the SPFL competitions next season - with the evidence produced during this summer’s League Cup group stage difficult to ignore.

The Youngest Ever Players

As mentioned earlier, four SPFL clubs - three from the Premiership - have fielded their youngest ever player this summer, and so this article will end with the 10 youngest players ever to make a senior appearance for each of the 42 SPFL clubs - ignoring war-time matches or regional tournaments.

While I have several GB of lineup data and d.o.b data saved, these lists are likely not exhaustive and there may be some players missing - please get in touch if you spot any errors.
For that reason you should always click through to ScottishFootball.info rather than reading any article in your email inbox. Any errors corrected will not be reflected in your email version of the article.

PREMIERSHIP

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This article was written for Scottishfootball.info by Fraser McIntosh, an aspiring sports writer and analyst, and is the man behind Hit The Byline on X.com - please give him a follow.

Fraser’s latest article is an analysis on how Motherwell could replace Elijah Just.

Following the club record sale to Swansea of player of the year nominee Elijah Just, Motherwell now have the unenviable task of replacing the New Zealand international. Despite the loan signing of attacking midfielder Alex Lowry from Wycombe Wanderers, I would still expect Motherwell to venture further into the transfer market to find a permanent replacement.

Motherwell’s trading model in the last couple of seasons has been excellent and with the possibility of a long European campaign, they will need to add much more depth to a fairly thin squad.

The Current Squad

Motherwell have recruited very well in forwards, with the majority of their first-team attackers being able to play in more than one position with no problem at all.

• Tawanda Maswanhise (RW / ST)

• Ibrahim Said (LW / RW / ST)

• Regan Charles-Cook (LW / AM / RW)

• Willy Vogt (RW / ST / LW)

• Alex Lowry (AM / LW)

However, with Maswanhise likely to move this summer as well, with links of a move to Celtic and Belgian giants Anderlecht, I would highly doubt Motherwell would allow both Just and Maswanhise to leave without permanent replacements ready to take their place.

Alex Lowry definitely could be considered part of the process to replace Just, but that would leave a lot of pressure on a player that has so far struggled to truly find his feet after lots of early promise at Rangers.

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My Thought Process

To replace Elijah Just, there are a lot of different things that must be considered first before identifying any potential candidates.

To match Motherwell’s recruitment strategy, it is crucial to look for players that have resale potential. It is also important to look for realistic targets that work within the budget that Motherwell would be willing to spend.

Motherwell will receive £5m for Elijah Just, but I would expect them to want to spend no more than 25% of that amount (£1.25m) to find a suitable replacement.

Now onto what I will be looking for ability-wise to identify the correct profiles to replace Just;

• Progressive Carries

• Shot/Chance Creation

• Strong 1 v 1 Dribbler

• High Work Rate & Press Speed

• Positional Versatility

On top of this I will also aim to find players that featured in 1500+ minutes last season, in order to ensure that the data shown is as accurate to the players true ability as possible.

Profile #1 - Mohamed Hafid

Personal Information:

• Age - 01/12/2004 ( 21 )

• Nationality - Moroccan / French

• Position - RW / AM / LW

• Height - 1.78m / 5’8”

• Preferred Foot - Left

Career Information:

• Club - SM Caen (France Ligue 3)

• Market Value - £500k ( According to Transfermarkt )

Data Analysis

Now in terms of the data, Hafid offers almost everything you could ask for, for someone trying to replace a player like Elijah Just.

Hafid averages 4.14 progressive carries per 90, ranking him 3rd in the entire league for this metric. A 56.06% dribble success rate is also much more impressive when you take into context the amount of carry attempts he does per game.

Creatively, it seems like he has been heavily let down by his teammates finishing. He creates 2.2 shot assists and an expected assist of 0.29 per 90, compared to his actual assists per 90, which is only 0.11.

In front of goal seems to be a slight weakness for Hamid. based on this seasons data set. However, he still outperforms his expected goals and has a higher conversion rate than Elijah Just ( 12.12% v 9.72% ). Overall the data certainly makes him an interesting candidate.

Video Footage

Hafid primarily operated as a right winger last season for Caen, while also being utilised as an attacking midfielder through the middle. Similar to Elijah Just, even when Hafid is played in the middle, he drifts wide to create an overload and to find more space to be able to take on defenders in 1 v 1 duels.

A huge part of Just’s game was his composure under pressure from opponents in tight spaces.

In this clip, Hafid receives the ball in the centre of the pitch from a loose touch from the oppositions player. He takes it down brilliantly to take it away from the first players and quickly bursts away from him, before he is then met by two more players. He then effortlessly skips past both before spraying a great pass out wide to his teammate.

Another thing that stands out about Hafid is his work rate and tenacity in winning the ball back high up the pitch. His defensive effort is something that doesn’t truly shine through in the data, but he regularly tracks back to help recover the ball, especially in instances when the opponents break Caen’s press and attack quickly on the break.

When Hafid moves out to these wide areas, I’ve noticed he doesn’t always just try to perform the same type of cross into the box repeatedly. He is undoubtedly ‘both footed’, so he is a handful for any defenders marking him.

His awareness around the box is a huge standout, he doesn’t just aimlessly fire it into the box. In this clip, he makes a great run from a wide position and perfectly controls the ball into his path before cutting it back perfectly for the box-crashing player.

Again, showing how impressive his movement and awareness is. He starts off very close behind the striker, but his reaction to noticing his teammate can spot him through a gap out wide is excellent. He physically points to exactly where he wants the ball, then once he receives it, he waits for the run of his teammate, before playing a perfectly weighted pass into his path for him to score.

Profile #2 - Kays Ruiz-Atil

Personal Information:

• Age - 26/08/2003 ( 22 )

• Nationality - Moroccan / French

• Position - AM / LW / RW / CF

• Height - 1.77m / 5’8”

• Preferred Foot - Right

Career Information:

• Club - RFC Liege ( Belgian Challenger League )

• Market Value - £150k ( According to Transfermarkt )

Data Analysis

It is another Moroccan/French profile that has caught my eye, this time in the Belgian 2nd tier. Some might recognise the name Kays Ruiz-Atil from his youth days at both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, where things never truly worked out due to some self-confessed poor career decision by Ruiz-Atil himself.

He is now starting to make a name for himself again in Belgium, and still is an incredible technician. He averages 0.75 smart passes per 90, the most across the entire league.

“A creative and penetrative pass that attempts to break the opposition's defensive lines to gain a significant advantage in attack.” - WyScout Glossary

His inventive eye for a pass isn’t the only thing that makes him standout in the data. Ruiz-Atil also ranks fifth in the league for progressive runs, averaging 4.88 per 90, while also averaging 8.5 progressive passes per 90 as well.

Ruiz-Atil does have one downside to his game, which is his presence in front of goal himself. He doesn’t have the best goal scoring record and is rather wasteful when the chance presents itself. He has a rather low conversion rate of just 4.17%, which is one of the lowest among forwards in the league.

His defensive metrics may look rather poor as well, but similarly to Hafid, the data doesn’t truly represent his defensive efforts.

Video Footage

Unlike Hafid, Ruiz-Atil functioned primarily as an attacking midfielder or in a starting central role. His movement from central areas is much more akin to that of Elijah Just. He thrives at having creative freedom to roam when his team is in an attacking phase, rotating from left to right and even dropping deep to receive the ball himself.

He is also incredibly press resistant, something that would he would have developed during his time at La Masia - Barcelona’s world famous youth academy.

It almost seems effortless the way he moves away from opponents, like they are just obstacles in his path to glides past. Even in tight spaces near his own box, he doesn’t panic, he is in full control of the ball and gets him and his team back in total command of possession.

There is always going to be a difference between how he can do it in the Belgian second tier compared to the Scottish Premiership, where it is much more physical and players might not give you the chance to break their press. However, this was very much the case for Elijah Just last season, which proves if they are skilled enough, they can still cope with the physicality of the league.

Here are just a couple of the chances he created last season, just to get an idea of what sort of playmaker he is. In both instances he is put under pressure, yet he finds these gaps in defence like they are obvious to him. With players that make intelligent runs already at Motherwell, such as; Maswanhise, Vogt and Longelo, Ruiz-Atil would thrive in that number 10 role.

His versatility also really makes him a great candidate, with him able to play anywhere in attack. Like Just, he has also featured as a centre forward when needed, but functions more as a false-9 rather than an out-and-out striker.

The striker position in my opinion, is one that is still up for debate as to who will be first choice. I am a really big fan of Eythor Bjørgolfsson, signed by Motherwell in January, and I think his style of play is ideal for the players that Motherwell have that could play around him. However, it is always incredibly useful having players in the squad that offer something completely different, which is what Ruiz-Atil could bring in.

Profile #3 - Maksim Stjopin

Personal Information:

• Age - 08/04/2003 ( 23 )

• Nationality - Finnish

• Position - AM / RW / LW

• Height - 1.78m / 5’8”

• Preferred Foot - Left

Career Information:

• Club - Ilves ( Veikkausliiga )

• Market Value - £200k ( According to Transfermarkt )

Data Analysis

Now onto a player that I have featured on ‘Hit The Byline’ before, Maksim Stjopin has been a player I have been a fan of for quite some time now. After coming through the Ilves academy system he moved to Nordsjaelland, where he spent 3 years, before moving back to Finland.

Much like the previous two, Stjopin excels in carrying the ball forward himself, averaging 4.52 progressive carries per 90. With a near 60% dribble success rate to support his strength at driving forward.

He isn’t as inventive as Ruiz-Atil in terms of passing and instead relies on his dribbling and movement to create more clear-cut chances. He creates 1.7 shot assists per 90, putting him in the top 10% of players in the league for this metric.

Ilves build up their attacks as a team, playing quick short passes to breakdown opponents press and defensive shape. Similar to how Motherwell operate, the attacking players constantly rotate and link-up to create spaces.

This style of play is perfect for Stjopin, as it allows him to occupy half-spaces and use his quick movement to break into the box ( 3.89 touches in the box per 90 ) or slip out wide to create a 1 v 1 with the full back.

Video Footage

Starting off with something that really separates Stjopin from Hafid and Ruiz-Atil, is his finishing. Stjopin is excellent at manipulating the ball onto his left to fire a shot at goal and has scored some very good goals by doing so.

I tried to pick 4 different types of goals here, with all of them resulting in him shifting it onto his left;

1. He picks the ball up in the centre of the pitch and instantly drives towards the defence, he then slows his run and takes one quick touch inside, before unleashing a curling effort into the bottom corner

2. Stjopin starts off out on the touchline, with plenty space ahead of him. He takes one touch away from the full back, then another to set himself for the shot and finding the side-netting

3. Some really nice link-up play between Stjopin and the striker. Stjopin fires it into the strikers feet, who cushions it back into Stjopin’s path, with the same end result. A quick shift onto his left and finished perfectly

4. Stjopin starts his run from a more central area, out onto the right hand side to receive the pass. He then shows excellent determination to get past his opponent after a slight mistouch and again finding the back of the net

As highlighted in the data, Stjopin is an excellent dribbler. He can drive at top speed while remaining in complete control of the ball and easily evades challenges.

His composure combined with his strength is something that I think would be well-suited to the Scottish game. With the energy and pace he brings as well, he would really work in Motherwell’s system.

I have been avidly watching the rise of Finnish football over the last couple of seasons and I think there are so many real gems across the leagues. Maksim Stjopin is definitely high up on that list for me.

Final Thoughts

There were a lot more names that I came across that would also be excellent signings to try and replace the impact that Elijah Just had (one of which was yet another French-Moroccan). Like stated at the beginning, Alex Lowry could be an excellent signing and I think could really progress at Motherwell.

I do see Lowry as more of a replacement for Callum Slattery, rather than Just, however. So I can definitely see Motherwell being even more active in the transfer market now that they have generated more funds through player sales.

The three profiles I identified would likely all cost under £1 million, with Mohamed Hafid potentially pushing slightly beyond that mark. I think any of them would be great additions to Motherwell’s squad. All three have the ability to be real handfuls in Scotland and in Europe, hopefully!

From a personal stand point, I would love to see Maksim Stjopin in the Premiership as I think it would lead to Scottish sides being more aware of the Finnish market. But, both Hafid and Ruiz-Atil would be top signings and would show real intent to play a specific brand of football.

Rangers will appeal the four-match suspension imposed on their new manager, Derek McInnes, for comments made during the final week of last season’s title race, while he was still Hearts manager. Rangers’ case rests on their belief that the comments amounted to “legitimate scrutiny” and that scrutiny and accountability should be seen as part of improving standards, rather than as a threat.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the Scottish FA found a breach of Disciplinary Rule 72. He received a four-match suspension: three matches immediate and one suspended until the end of 2026/27. The suspended match would be activated should he breach Rule 72 again during that period. Rangers also believe that similar comments elsewhere in Scottish football have previously attracted lighter sanctions or no disciplinary action.

Rangers FC statement: “similar language has previously been used in Scottish football by others with lesser disciplinary action or without any action at all”.

While not looking at examples of similar language that has not faced any action, this article will instead look at the McInnes punishment, compared to other sanctions issued to managers in Scottish football in recent years, before looking back to see who the most sanctioned manager in Scottish football history is.

The McInnes Case

The case arose while McInnes was still Hearts manager and closing in on what would have been a truly historic title win. Celtic beat Motherwell 3–2 through Kelechi Iheanacho’s penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time, keeping the title race alive with the last kick of the game. Had the match ended 2–2, Celtic would have needed to beat Hearts by at least three goals on the final day. The victory at Fir Park reduced Hearts’ lead to one point, meaning any Celtic win in the decider would be enough to take the title. It was therefore a season-defining decision.

We can understand why McInnes — and everyone else who wanted Hearts to win the title — was deeply upset by the award of the penalty. Even within that emotional context, however, there remains a line that managers cannot cross when criticising officials.

VAR official Andrew Dallas recommended the late review for handball and referee John Beaton awarded the penalty. McInnes, speaking at Tynecastle after Hearts had beaten Falkirk in the other major game that night, called the decision “actually quite disgusting” and said that it felt like Hearts were “up against everybody”.

Rule 72 covers public criticism of match officials “which indicates bias or incompetence”, as well as remarks which impinge on their character. The Scottish FA has published the outcome of McInnes’s hearing, but not written reasons explaining which part of his comments proved decisive. The phrase “up against everybody” appears the most likely basis for the finding, because it could be interpreted as implying bias against Hearts.

What Rangers argue is that McInnes strongly criticised a match-defining decision without attacking the competence or integrity of the officials. Their statement says his comments were directed at the decision and, when considered in context, did not allege bias, incompetence or dishonesty.

They clearly believe that McInnes believed the decision was wrong, was extremely unhappy with it, and so should be able to criticise said decision without fear of reprisal. The club also raises questions about consistency and precedent, arguing that comparable language has previously produced lighter punishment or no charge.

Inevitably, the case has prompted comparisons on social media with former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. After a defeat at Tynecastle in March 2024, Rodgers said that the match had been “refereed outside the field.” . He specifically named VAR John Beaton, described the officiating as “really, really poor” and used the word “incompetence”.

Rodgers was found to have breached Rule 72 and received a two-match suspension: one match immediate and one suspended.

A two-match sanction appears far more lenient than the four-match punishment imposed on the new Rangers manager. Can there be a straightforward explanation for this though?

Yes.

The Rule Change

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Every year, a new edition of the Laws of the Game are published, and a document describing any changes is released. The next edition takes effect from 1 July 2026, but competitions that begin before that date can either implement the changes early or delay them until the start of their next competition.

The 2026 World Cup starts tomorrow, a few weeks before this date, and FIFA have confirmed they will implement the changes, and so we will see these new laws in effect at this tournament.

Annual changes to the laws can sometimes be confusing for fans as the changes are often not well communicated. Those watching a match might expect a certain outcome from the referee, based on what they remember seeing in previous seasons. But actually a change in the law has occurred meaning a new outcome would be expected.

An example of this from last season would be that previously it was an automatic red card for denying a goal with a handball offence. An example of this law being followed was in May 2024, as Kilmarnock’s Joe Wright was shown a straight red card for a handball on the goal line - preventing a goal, as seen in the Sky Sports Video:

To most that watch football, this punishment seems harsh, as although he has stopped a goal, it was completely accidental. The lawmakers agreed, and so for season 2024/25 the laws were changed and an offence like Joe Wright’s (a non-deliberate handball, denying a goal) was no longer a sending off.

Therefore those that were calling for Dujon Sterling to receive a red card for denying a goal with a non-deliberate handball against Celtic in March, were likely unaware of the law change at the beginning of last season. A penalty award then was correct, but a sending off would have been incorrect - even though it would have been correct less than 12 months prior.

This is where fans, or even pundits, can sometimes fail to get their point across properly regarding refereeing decisions. There is a difference between “that should not be a red card, because the referee has misinterpreted the law” and “that should not be a red card, because I personally believe the law is too harsh, and would like to see it changed so it isn’t a red card in future”.

Who Implements Change?

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the organisation that writes and updates the Laws of the Game, essentially the official rulebook for football worldwide. IFAB was founded in 1886 by the four British football associations, The FA (England), The SFA (Scotland), the FAW (Wales) and the IFA (was Ireland, now Northern Ireland).

As a matter of principle, the Laws are global - the same Laws apply everywhere, and they must not be altered except where The IFAB permits modifications (for example, certain “organisational” changes at youth, disability, veterans, and grassroots level). However it is of course possible to see variations in how the laws are applied from country to country, for subjective decisions like a penalty for a handball or for forceful tackles - “you just don’t get away with those in Europe”.

Actual changes to the Laws can only be introduced during the AGM. Any football association or football body can propose a law change, but for a proposal to get to the stage where a law is presented at an AGM it must be assessed and approved by the The Board of Directors (BoD). The BoD includes the CEOs of the four FA’s plus FIFA’s secretary general.

As the yellow graphic at the start shows, The BoD are supported by the Technical Subcommittee (TSC), which includes “former renowned international referees”, including Pierluigi Collina, Mike Riley, Howard Webb and Willie Collum.

The TSC assesses and analyses potential Law changes and interpretations proposed, as well as overseeing experiments and trials approved by the Board of Directors (BoD).

Lastly, there are external advisory panels, the The Football and Technical Advisory Panels (FAP and TAP), which bring together experts from across the world of football. The FAP consists of former football players as well as former and current coaches. Their purpose is to bring expertise and knowledge to the discussions of footballing issues and the sporting aspects of potential Law changes.

That’s why we hear of “Wenger’s offside law” in the media, as he is in a position where he is able to recommend law changes - however any change would still need to be approved by the BoD.

Next Season’s Law Changes

These are the key changes that have been approved and published and will take effect next season. As fans we will first see them implemented at the World Cup, starting on Thursday!

Change 1.)
MATCH TEMPO

The IFAB approved a set of measures which build on last season’s visible countdown to enforce the goalkeeper 8-second restriction for holding on to the ball for too long, which would result in a corner to the opposition.

This will now be extended to include throw-ins and goal-kicks

THROW-INS

If the referee judges a team is unfairly delaying a throw-in, they whistle, signal the restart, then run a five second visual countdown (raised hand). If the throw-in is not taken by the end of the countdown, the throw-in is awarded to the opponents.

The referee does not need to wait for the player to have the ball before starting the countdown - it can begin if the team is delaying by, for example, slowly retrieving the ball or taking an incorrect position. If the player is already in the act of throwing as the countdown ends, the protocol says they should not be penalised.

GOAL KICKS

The goal kick version is the same mechanism: whistle, signal, then a five second visual countdown. If the kick is not taken in time, the punishment is more severe - the opponents receive a corner kick.

The feedback from 400+ trial matches before the implementation of the goalkeeper countdown last season said that there very few offences but the game was faster and that the countdown was helpful. So although we may not see many throw-ins or corners awarded to the opposition team, this is because the countdown itself has been shown to reduce time wasting.

Change 2.)

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St Mirren won the Premiership playoff final tonight at home to Partick Thistle, with captain Marcus Fraser scoring the only goal in a tight 1-0 win after the sides had drawn 1-1 at Firhill in the first leg.

The result means St Mirren avoid becoming the first team in Scottish football history to win a major domestic trophy and be relegated in the same season. Had they gone down, they would have been only the fourth club across the UK to do so, and the third in the last 15 years

A Continued Stay

The playoff final victory ensures St Mirren’s current top-flight stay will continue into a ninth season. It is the second time they have survived through the playoffs, and 2026-27 will be the Buddies’ 106th top-flight season, compared with just 24 spent outside the top division.

In 2018-19, St Mirren stayed up thanks to a penalty shootout victory after a 1-1 aggregate draw against Dundee United. Their trajectory has largely been upward since then, although this season brought their lowest Premiership finish since that campaign.

Their playoff involvement came on the back of three consecutive top-six finishes, something only St Mirren, Celtic and Rangers achieved across those three seasons.

In my analysis of their annual report, I highlighted that although St Mirren made a £727,000 profit in their latest accounts, that was almost entirely driven by UEFA income from European football.

The current season will likely produce a reduced profit or a small loss, perhaps leading to a cut in costs next year. Had they lost tonight, that cost-cutting may have been more pronounced given the drop in income in the Championship. The winners of the Championship receive £790,000, while St Mirren earn an SPFL payment of £1.7m for finishing 11th in the Premiership.

Given the Saints have become accustomed to the higher prize money paid to teams in the top half of the division, the £478,000 received for winning the League Cup in December will have been a welcome, unbudgeted bonus.

St. Mirren avoid becoming the sixth side in Scottish Football history to face relegation after three consecutive top six finishes

Thistle Wait Continues

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There will be lots of articles on the website for the World Cup, before the UEFA qualifiers and League Cup both start in July - then league action returns on 1st August 2026.

Before that though, in the first of the summary articles for last season 2025/26, I attach a “scorecard” for each team of the 42 teams in the SPFL, as well as an overall “scorecard” for each division. This includes top scorer, most common result this season, and history of finishing in that position in the division for each club.

17 of the 42 SPFL clubs finished in a league position they had not previously finished in this century, in that tier.

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SPFL Overall Scorecard

Premiership

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Article Update 21:25 18/05/2026 with additional Rangers stat

Manchester United secured a third place finish in the English Premier League at the weekend, and will return to the Champions League next season. They went in at the break 1-0 up thanks to a Luke Shaw goal, and despite Forest equalising soon after the restart, United secured the win through goals from Cunha and Mbeumo.

You may be asking why you are reading about this on a website that prides itself in detailed alternative coverage and analysis of the Scottish game.

It’s because of a very specific stat.

After the match, Opta Stats stated that this win extended a specific Manchester United streak to 400 matches. That’s 400 matches in which Man United have been leading at half time - yet have avoided defeat at full time, with 365 wins and 35 draws.

This run stretches back to August 1984. 42 years. This is genuinely incredible - in Scotland, we have numerous team where such run doesn’t stretch back 42 days!

So after reading this stat, I naturally had to find out exactly how long the same run would be for each of the 42 SPFL sides, and what’s the longest such current run in Scotland.

So here you go. The “Manchester United table” for all four divisions.

Premiership

Normally, you’d expect Celtic to lead a metric like this. They rarely lose at home, and if they do - they normally wouldn’t have been leading at half time.

Not this time.

Rangers’ 3-1 victory at Celtic Park in January came after Wilfried Nancy’s side went in 1-0 at the break. So for Celtic it’s now only a run of only five matches where they have been leading at home at half time and not lost the match. That isn’t even enough to be in the top six in the Premiership’s version of the ‘Manchester United table’

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Celtic Football Club are the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership champions, ending Hearts’ bid to end a 41-year run of Rangers and Celtic dominance at the top of Scottish football. It’s the Celts’ 56th title, as they move clear as the outright most successful club in Scottish top-tier history.

Exactly what this means for both Celtic and Hearts in Europe this summer can be found in the humongous “UEFA Qualifiers” article, which has the answer to every question you can think of.

For today, though, here are 56 stats from this remarkable season in which Celtic recorded their 56th top flight triumph, followed by a brief financial comparison of three key metrics at Celtic, Hearts and Rangers.

I’ve teamed up with ‘Boot & Ball’ to promote their Scotland national team playing cards.

It is genuinely a fantastic product, with cards featuring King Kenny Dalglish, Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay and more.

Click here to order!

SEASON STATS

1. Celtic have won the Scottish league title for the 56th time, moving one clear of Rangers on 55.

2. Celtic have won five consecutive league titles, their fourth run of at least five-in-a-row after 1904-05 to 1909-10, 1965-66 to 1973-74 and 2011-12 to 2019-20.

   

3. The Old Firm title streak has reached 41 consecutive seasons, from Celtic in 1985-86 through Celtic in 2025-26, since Aberdeen’s last title in 1984-85.

4. Celtic had not been top of the table for 232 days (26th September-16th May), the longest ever wait for a Scottish champion to reach 1st place. This beats the previous record from 1985/86, when Celtic went 204 days before overtaking Hearts on the final day.

5. Hearts had been on top of the Premiership table since 27 September 2025, except for one day in April. Rangers briefly led on goal difference on 4th April 2026, but Hearts returned to the top the following day and haven’t moved since.

6. Celtic spent just 33 days top of the league this season, the fewest by any Scottish top-flight champion since Celtic in 1985/86.

7. Daizen Maeda becomes only the fourth player

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SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster: “Saturday’s match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian promises to be a memorable occasion and one for the history books. It’s been a title race like no other in our top-flight since the SPFL was formed in 2013, and one of the most dramatic in decades.

We’re expecting a truly compelling encounter for supporters both inside the stadium, and watching live on Sky Sports, and wish both clubs the very best of luck for this crucial match.”

Scottish football has reached a final-day showdown guaranteed to produce an outcome not seen in 40 years. There is the well-known 41-year wait for anyone other than Celtic or Rangers to win the title, stretching back to Aberdeen’s 1984/85 championship under Sir Alex Ferguson. But it has also been 40 years since Celtic last started the final day in second place and still came through to win the title.

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It will be only the third time the Scottish top-flight title has been decided on the final day by a match between two teams that could win the league, and just the sixth such occasion across all tiers of Scottish football.

The last time it happened in the top flight, Mark Hateley scored twice for Rangers at Ibrox to beat an Aberdeen side who would have taken the title with a draw. It was Aberdeen’s only defeat in their last 13 matches, while Rangers had lost 3-0 at Motherwell the week before, having also lost away to both Aberdeen and Celtic in their final 10 matches.

Season 2025/26 has undoubtedly been the most gripping top-flight title race for at least 15 years, and arguably the best overall season in that time. Hearts and Celtic have proved themselves the two best teams in the country, and they will now meet on the final day with the title on the line. It will be the 12th time in Scottish football history that the clubs have faced each other on the final day of the season and, unsurprisingly, Celtic hold the upper hand 7 wins to 2.

Hearts fans will be hoping their side can end the niche run of not beating Celtic on the final day since 1975/76, while the 57,000+ Celtic fans in the stadium will fancy their chances of roaring their team to yet another league title. But how did we get here?

This article discusses last night’s penalty before giving the stats regarding last minute winners, Martin O’Neill, Daizen Maeda and the post-split results records on offer to both Celtic and Rangers on Saturday. If you’re not yet a member here, please consider taking out a paid subscription and supporting my work, to receive full access to all articles.

Last Night’s Penalty

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Falkirk occupy 6th position, five points behind Hibs. In order to move up to 5th and take the final European place - that’s only available if Celtic win the Scottish Cup - Falkirk would have to beat Hearts and Rangers in their final two games. They’d then also need the Hibees to fail to win both of their final two fixtures. Unlikely, so it’s almost a dead rubber for the Bairns.

Furthermore, the Jambos will be up against a Falkirk side missing several key players including Scott Bain, Leon McCann, Filip Lissah, Lewis Neilson and Barney Stewart. With Hearts looking to complete their first season unbeaten at home in the top-flight since 1985/86, the game in Gorgie should be a formality. If Hearts score first, it could be a matter of “how many” - and we’ll get to the minutia detail of what each additional goal could mean come Saturday.

It does seem unlikely then that former Hearts coach John McGlynn, who spent more than a decade at Tynecastle, will be able to mastermind the downfall of Hearts tonight in front of an expectant crowd. But even if he does, it wouldn’t be curtains for Hearts yet, as Celtic can’t seal the title for themselves tonight. At worst for Hearts, it’s guaranteed to still be an achievable dream on the final day. I’ll go through all of the permutations, but first a discussion on whether this is ‘now or never’ for the boys in maroon.

Now or Never?

For many of those in the country that don’t follow a team in green and white, Hearts winning the league would be a refreshing change from the norm most have known all their lives. Celtic fans will be hoping that it’s business as usual of course, and that a squad full of players that win every year will be able to get it over the line, again. While for Hibs fans, a maroon trophy parade through Edinburgh would be a miserable way for their 150th anniversary season to end.

From my point of view, I believe a Hearts title win this week would great for Scottish football, but I think it’s more important that this type of season becomes the norm, with title races going down to the final week every year. The television deals with Sky, Premier and BBC all run until 2029 and so renegotiation discussions will probably start some time next year. If we consistently have genuine title challenges from three teams, forcing Sky into broadcasting more matches than ever before, this can only put the SPFL in a stronger negotiating position.

In March I spoke about how I didn’t believe this was ‘now or never for Hearts to win the league’, but instead it was probably ‘now or never for Hearts to win the league with fewer than 80 points’, given how poor both Celtic and Rangers had been this season.

It has been the worst season in decades - under numerous metrics - for both halves of Glasgow. It is a reasonable assumption that one, if not both, will improve next season and return to regularly reaching points tallies of 85+. However, the reason I don’t believe it’s now or never for Hearts is the recruitment process they will have in place thanks to their exclusive partnership with Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics. I wrote back in May last year why I thought Bloom’s impending investment could genuinely see Hearts challenging for the title, given his track record of disrupting clubs with much greater budgets elsewhere.

If Hearts are on the same trajectory that Brighton or Union St. Gilloise were under Bloom, then there will be improvements at Tynecastle next year, too. And then the year after that. This can only be a positive thing for the Scottish game, and if we continue to see improvements at the likes of Motherwell, Hibs and Aberdeen over the coming years then it will be more than I suspect Sky Sports may not be the only broadcaster looking for a seat at the negotiating table.

Forgive me for one last act of self-acclamation, in an effort to demonstrate to new subscribers that I sometimes offer predictions of value - I point you to some basic stats I shared in October which indicated Hearts were in with a real chance of challenging for the title this season.

Even before that, I was on the Celtic Exchange Podcast with host Tino in August, and predicted that Hearts would finish second, with a coin toss needed to decide which of the Old Firm would take the title. Smarter men than me, namely Brighton fan and football finance expert Kieran Maguire and ’s have both spoken incredibly highly of Tony Bloom and the transformative effects he can have at a football club. For these people, I suspect it won’t be a shock if Hearts were win the title.

Let’s look at how this can happen this week.

Permutations for the title

Obviously for both Hearts and Celtic, if they win two games then they take the trophy. However as Hearts have a 1 point advantage going into tonight, they might not need to do that, and so all scenarios demonstrate what Hearts require to win the title.

Some of the permutations in the following graphic are simple. If Motherwell beat Celtic at Fir Park for the second time this season, Hearts are Champions tonight if they defeat Falkirk. If both teams win, then Hearts ‘only’ need to avoid defeat at Celtic Park on Saturday to become Champions.

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Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the sixth edition of the weekly SPFL Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, and it covers the Premiership league matches, as well as the 1st legs of the playoffs for the lower leagues. A post-match Stats Pack will be out on Thursday following the conclusion of the games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

The aim is that these stats packs will constantly evolve and improve through subscriber feedback. Please leave any comments detailing what you like or dislike. Of course please also point out any errors, even if just a small typo - I can correct these easily on the website.

If you are not a paying subscriber yet, please consider taking out a 7-day free trial to continue reading, before deciding for yourself if you think £25 per year (or £3.50 per month) is value for money. If it’s not for you, then cancel at any point before the trial ends and won’t pay anything.

PREMIERSHIP

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Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the weekly SPFL post-match Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, covering all four divisions. This follows the pre-match Stats Pack which is released by the Friday before the weekend’s games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

Please leave any feedback detailing what you like or dislike and of course please also point out any errors. Even if just a small typo - I can correct these easily on the website.

If you are not a paying subscriber yet, please consider taking out a 7-day free trial to continue reading, before deciding for yourself if you think £25 per year (or £3.50 per month) is value for money. If it’s not for you, then cancel at any point before the trial ends and won’t pay anything.

PREMIERSHIP

Aberdeen 2-0 Dundee United

• The four league meetings between Aberdeen and Dundee United this season finished perfectly level, with one win each, two draws and a 3-3 aggregate score.

• Aberdeen have lost just one of their last 19 home league games against Dundee United (W10 D8), and United are now winless in 11 visits since August 2014.

Aberdeen have won three consecutive home league matches to nil for the first time since a four-game run ended in April 2023.

Dundee 3-0 Livingston

• Dundee completed an unbeaten league season against Livingston, with two wins, two draws and a 10-6 aggregate score.

• Dundee are now unbeaten in seven league meetings with Livingston (W5 D2) since a 1-0 defeat in February 2022.

Dundee’s 10 league goals against Livingston are their most against them in a single league season.

• Dundee have won back-to-back home league matches to nil for the first time since November 2023.

• Livingston have won only 1 of their 19 away league matches this season.

  • That win last time out at St. Mirren was their first in 35 away Premiership matches (25 losses & 29 draws).

• Livingston have the most goals conceded in the Premiership this season (71). and have the joint-most defeats in the Premiership this season (20), level with St. Mirren.

St. Mirren 0-3 Kilmarnock

• Kilmarnock completed an unbeaten league season against St. Mirren, with three wins, one draw and a 9-3 aggregate score.

• Kilmarnock have lost only one of their last 15 league meetings with St. Mirren (W8 D6).

Kilmarnock have won consecutive league matches 3-0 for the first time since a three-game run in October-November 2010.

• For the 34th time in their history - and only the 2nd time this century - Kilmarnock have won consecutive league matches by 3+ goals.

  • Only two of those 34 have been by a scoreline of exactly 3-0; and both were the occurrences this century - in 2026 and 2010.

• If Kilmarnock win the next match 3-0 against Dundee, they will become the eighth side in history to win three consecutive matches 3-0, repeating their own feat from 2010/11.

• St. Mirren have lost four consecutive league matches without scoring for the first time since a five-game run from March to April 2015; a season in which they were relegated.

• St Mirren have scored only 27 league goals, the fewest in the division. They’ve only failed to reach 30 goals in a full top flight season four times in their history.

Falkirk 1-3 Hibernian

• Hibernian got the better of Falkirk this season, with two wins, one draw and one defeat, and a 9-7 aggregate score.

The defeat earlier in the season was the only one Hibs have suffered in their last 14 league meetings with Falkirk (W7 D6).

• Hibernian ended a three-match league losing run; their last longer losing run in the top flight was four games in April 2023.

• Since drawing 0-0 at home to Motherwell, none of Falkirk’s home games have been drawn (5 Falkirk wins & 6 Falkirk losses)

Motherwell 1-1 Hearts

• Hearts completed an unbeaten league season against Motherwell for the first time since 2016-17, and only the fifth time this century.

• Hearts have lost only one of their last 10 league meetings with Motherwell (W5 D4), going unbeaten since a 3-1 defeat in August 2024.

• Hearts are unbeaten in seven league meetings with Motherwell, their longest ever unbeaten run against the Well.

• Hearts are unbeaten in six league matches, their longest run since a 10-game sequence from May 2025 to November 2025.

Hearts have fallen behind in each of their last 4 matches, but avoided defeat in all 4 (3W & 1D). The last time they managed this was in 2005:

• 1-1 away to Hibernian; Derek Riordan scored first

• 3-2 home to Dundee United; Barry Robson scored first

• 1-1 away to Dundee; Fabian Caballero scored first

• 2-1 away to Livingston; Derek Lilley scored first

Celtic 3-1 Rangers

• The four league Old Firm meetings ended perfectly level overall this season: one win each, two draws and a 6-6 aggregate score.

Celtic became the 24th side to win its first three post-split league matches since the split was introduced in 2000-01; it is the ninth time Celtic have done so, and the first since 2023-24.

• Rangers became the 26th side to lose its first three post-split league matches since 2000-01, and the first Rangers side ever to do it.

• Rangers are now guaranteed to finish third; it will be only their fifth third-place finish since 1989, and their first since 2017-18.

  • 2005/06: Celtic 1st, Hearts 2nd

  • 2014/15: Hearts 1st, Hibs 2nd (Championship)

  • 2016/17: Celtic 1st, Aberdeen 2nd

  • 2017/18: Celtic 1st, Aberdeen 2nd

• Rangers have lost three consecutive league matches for the 16th time in their history, and the first time since October 2000

• Rangers have conceded 2+ goals in five straight league games for the eighth time in their history, and only the second time since 1987 (the other was an eight-match run from February to April 2025 last season).

• Celtic have won five consecutive league matches; their previous longer league winning run this season was five, from 29 October to 3 December 2025, during Martin O’Neill’s first interim spell.

Always click through to the website ScottishFootball.info for the most accurate version of any article. Any mistakes that are corrected after publication will only show on the website, rendering the version in your email inbox out of date.

This is the fifth edition of the weekly SPFL Stats Packs on ScottishFootball.info, and it covers only the Premiership this week given the other three leagues have completed the regular season, and are now into the playoffs. A post-match Stats Pack will be out at the end of the weekend following the conclusion of the games.

My favourite stat for each fixture will be highlighted with a blue line at the left hand side like this.

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