⚽ The Kick-Off - Friday 17th July 2026
Craig Gordon retires. Elliot Watt banned for four games. Aberdeen sign goalkeeper Marius Müller. Signings for Livingston, Ayr United, Montrose and Queen of the South.
Random Scottish Football Fact #350:
Jim Goodwin holds the record as Dundee United’s longest-serving manager since the legendary Jim McLean.
LATEST NEWS
🔚 Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon has announced his retirement from football.
The 43-year-old played for Hearts, Cowdenbeath, Sunderland, and Celtic, as well as winning 84 caps for Scotland. - Brian McLauchlin, BBC
🚫 Motherwell’s Elliot Watt has been given a four-match ban for his comments following their defeat to Celtic at the end of last season.
The midfielder had posted on X that the award of the late penalty was “the worst VAR decision in history”.
The Steelmen were also fined £5000 for the content of a video they posted after the game. - Matthew Fulton, STV
Motherwell expressed their extreme disappointment with the outcome. - Motherwell FC website
✍️ Aberdeen have signed 33-year-old goalkeeper Marius Müller from VfL Wolfsburg. - Aberdeen FC website
🦁 Livingston announced the signing of 26-year-old Dutch winger Bradly van Hoeven on a free from Polish Ekstraklasa side Motor Lublin. - Livingston FC website
⚪ Ayr United have signed defender Leon King on a two-year deal following his release from Rangers. The 22-year-old had been on loan at Somerset Park last season. - Ayr United website
🔵 Montrose have signed forward Gary Oliver on a two-year deal. The 30-year-old was let go by Falkirk at the end of the season. - Montrose FC website
🔵 Fellow League One side Queen of the South have signed former Peterhead defender Caleb Goldie on a one-year-deal. - Queen of the South website
✍️ Dundee United have sold Scotland Under-16 international Kai Hutchison to Everton for a six-figure fee. United had offered the teenager a new deal. - Alan Temple, The Courier
🆕 Hibs launched their new away shirt for this season.
🔴 Hamilton Academical announced contract extensions for club captain Stephen Hendrie and Steven Bradley. - Hamilton Academical website
🟢 Celtic Chief Executive Michael Nicolson told those in attendance at a recent annual general meeting of the Association of Irish Celtic Supporters Clubs that the Scottish champions are struggling to compete in the transfer market. - BBC
📺 The STV Football Podcast is launching a special 30-minute adaptation for TV. The podcast, which features Ewen Cameron, Ronnie Charters, and Callum Bell, will be shown on STV on Friday nights at 7pm.
🏆 The KDM Evolution Trophy League Phase fixtures were revealed yesterday. This year’s competition features non-league clubs Banks o’Dee, Clachnacuddin, Formartine United, Berwick Rangers, Bonnyrigg Rose, Clydebank, Cowdenbeath, Cumbernauld Colts, and Gala Fairydean Rovers. - view the fixtures here
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL FIXTURES TODAY
🆚 Pre-Season Friendlies include:
Heart of Midlothian v Rayo Vallecano (7.45pm)
Motherwell v KRC Genk (7.30pm)
View all the Scottish pre-season friendlies today on the Scottish Football Fixtures website
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL ON TV THIS WEEKEND
📺 Saturday
Hibernian v Brondby (SolidSport: 1pm)
Cove Rangers v St Mirren (Premier Sports Player: 3pm)
Elgin City v Kilmarnock (Premier Sports Player: 3pm)
Livingston v Partick Thistle (Premier Sports Player: 3pm)
St Johnstone v Greenock Morton (Premier Sports Player: 3pm)
Aberdeen v Queen’s Park (Premier Sports 2: 5pm)
Dundee United v Arbroath (Premier Sports 2: 7pm)
DO YOU ENJOY THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL KICK-OFF?
The Kick-Off takes a lot of time to put together and it is reader-supported as there are costs associated with it. If you would like to receive some occasional bonus Kick-Off content and allow The Scottish Football Kick-Off to have a long-term future, join the growing number of paid subscribers via the button below.
The weekday Kick-Off will always be free.
Don’t want to become a paid subscriber, but want to support? You can ‘buy me a pint’ via the button below.
(I know the normal thing to say here is ‘buy me a coffee,’ but I’ll be honest, I don’t drink coffee.)
🙏🏼 Thank you for reading today’s Scottish Football Kick-Off. 🗣️ If you like getting this email, please recommend it to a friend, work colleague or family member. 📱 Latest subscriber number: 3080 🆓 The daily kick-off will always be free.


