⚽ The Kick-Off - Monday 12th January 2026
Weekend round-up. All the latest SPFL transfers including Rangers signing Tochi Chukwuani. Barry Robson appointed manager of Cork City. Scott Bain signs new deal at Falkirk.
🌎 Days until Haiti v Scotland at the World Cup: 152
📒 Random Scottish Football Fact #226: Former Burnley and Southampton, and current Wrexham striker Jay Rodriguez played 11 times for Stirling Albion whilst on loan in 2008.
WEEKEND ROUND-UP
➡️ WILLIAM HILL PREMIERSHIP
Wins for the top three mean it’s as you were at the top of the Premiership. Hearts are three points ahead of Rangers and six ahead of Celtic, with Rangers having played one game more than their title rivals. Livingston are still four points behind 11th-placed Kilmarnock.
Aberdeen 0-2 Rangers
Celtic 4-0 Dundee United
Dundee 0-1 Heart of Midlothian
Hibernian 1-1 Motherwell
Livingston 1-1 Kilmarnock
St Mirren 0-2 Falkirk
View the Premiership table here
➡️ WILLIAM HILL CHAMPIONSHIP
Ross County picked up their third league win of the season in Stuart Kettlewell’s first in charge back in the Highlands. Partick Thistle are five points behind St Johnstone, who have a game in hand. Third-placed Arbroath have opened a seven-point gap on fifth-placed Dunfermline Athletic.
Ayr United 1-1 Airdrieonians
Greenock Morton P-P Dunfermline Athletic
Queen’s Park P-P St Johnstone
Raith Rovers 2-3 Arbroath
Ross County 2-0 Partick Thistle
View the Championship table here
➡️ WILLIAM HILL LEAGUE ONE
Stenhousemuir have opened the gap at the top of the league to three points over Inverness, although Caley still have two games in hand. Cove’s point at home to Inverness has seen them move into eighth. It could have been three points if it hadn’t been for a last-minute penalty save from Ross Munro. Queen of the South have moved level on points with second-placed Inverness.
Alloa Athletic P-P Montrose
Cove Rangers 0-0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Peterhead P-P Hamilton Academical
Stenhousemuir 5-0 East Fife
View the League One table here
➡️ WILLIAM HILL LEAGUE TWO
Only two games survived the weather in League Two. Edinburgh City’s miserable home form continues. Despite being 1-0 up with 20 minutes to play, the Citizens conceded four, which included a Russell McLean hat-trick. Five points are separating Stranraer in fourth and Elgin City in eighth, with the Moray side having two games in hand.
Annan Athletic P-P Elgin City
Dumbarton P-P Clyde
East Kilbride P-P The Spartans
Forfar Athletic 2-2 Stranraer
View the League Two table here
⚽️ THE LATE GOALS SOCIETY
(goals scored in the 85th minute or later)
Nicky Jamieson (Stenhousemuir - 90’), Liam Smith (Queen of the South - 90+4’)
Jake Sutherland (Forfar Athletic - 90+2’), Russell McLean (Stirling Albion - 90+2’)
🔴 THE RED CARD CLUB
Alexander Schwolow (Heart of Midlothian)
NEWS
🔵 Rangers have signed Denmark Under-21 international Tochi Chukwuani from Sturm Graz in a deal believed to be worth £4m.
The midfielder has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal.- Charlotte Cohen, BBC
🧨 Aberdeen, Hibernian, Motherwell, and Rangers all received SPFL disciplinary action following the use of pyrotechnics by their supporters at various matches.
Motherwell and Rangers have received a reduction of 50 away tickets for upcoming away matches. Aberdeen and Hibernian received suspended sanctions.- SPFL website
🏅 Stranraer manager Chris Aitken and forward Deryn Lang picked up the League Two Manager and Player of the Month awards for December. - SPFL website
👋 Ross County striker Ronan Hale has handed in a transfer request to try to force through a move to Gillingham. - Danny Law, The Press & Journal
🆕 Barry Robson has been appointed the new Cork City manager. Robson was most recently sacked by Raith Rovers but has made a quick return to management in the League of Ireland. - Cork City website
📝 Falkirk goalkeeper Scott Bain has extended his contract at Falkirk. - Ben Kearney, Falkirk Herald
🤕 Rangers midfielder Connor Barron has been ruled out for 8-12 weeks with an injury. - Joshua Barrie, Rangers Review
⚽️ Aaron Hickey played all of Brentford’s FA Cup Third Round 2-0 win away at Sheffield Wednesday. Nathan Patterson played 116 minutes for Everton. The Toffees were knocked out by Sunderland on penalties.
Dom Hyam scored in Wrexham’s 3-3 draw with Nottingham Forest. The Welsh side went on to knock out the Premier League club on penalties.
⚽️ Scott McTominay scored twice in Napoli’s 2-2 draw with Inter Milan in the San Siro last night.
Lennon Miller got another Serie A start for Udinese, playing 75 minutes in their 2-2 draw with Pisa. - view the Serie A table here
🏆 Rangers and Glasgow City were the biggest winners in the Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup Fourth Round yesterday. Both Glasgow clubs beat their opponents 6-0. Celtic beat SWPL rivals Hibernian Women 3-2 away to progress to the next round. The quarter-final draw takes place tonight at 7pm live on the Scottish Cup YouTube channel.
➡️ Only one game a piece survived in the Breedon Highland League and Park’s Motor Group Lowland League.
In the Highland League, Fraserburgh beat Wick Academy 4-1. - view the Highland League table here
Bo’ness United beat bottom-side East Stirlingshire 2-0 in the Lowland League. - view the Lowland League table here
⚫️ St Mirren’s injury problems continue. After losing Mark O’Hara, Jonah Ayunga, and Keanu Baccus, the Buddies are set to be without Killian Phillips, Liam Donnelly, and Shamal George for St Mirren's trip to Hearts.
📺 Hamilton Academical v Inverness Caledonian Thistle has been selected for live BBC Alba coverage on Saturday, 14 February. - SPFL website
🌎 Nutmeg Magazine is looking for your stories of Scotland at the World Cup. If you have any stories, photos, or memories from any World Cup Scotland was at between 1974 and 1998, send them to jack@nutmegmagazine.co.uk.
✍️ The latest Scottish football transfer deals:
Permanent Transfers
Ben Parkinson - Newcastle United to Falkirk - Falkirk FC website
Cammy Clark - released by Dumbarton - Dumbarton FC website
Charlie Albinson - unattached to Annan Athletic - Annan Athletic website
Joe Halsley - Canvey Island to East Fife - East Fife website
Josh Todd - released by Annan Athletic - Annan Athletic website
Scott Arfield - unattached to Livingston - Livingston FC website
Scott Robinson - Hamilton Academical to Arbroath - Arbroath FC on X
Tochi Chukwuani - Sturm Graz to Rangers - Charlotte Cohen, BBC
Loan Signings
Sam Young - Dunfermline Athletic to East Kilbride - East Kilbride on X
Zander Clark - Heart of Midlothian to Doncaster Rovers - BBC
Loan Extensions
Billy Hutchison - St Mirren to Stirling Albion - Stirling Albion website
Connor Young - Dunfermline Athletic to East Kilbride - East Kilbride on X
End of Loans
Lewis Hodgkiss - recalled by St Mirren from Stirling Albion - Stirling Albion website
Stephen Welsh - recalled by Celtic from Motherwell - David Irvine, The Celtic Way
✍️ Scotland Under-21 forward Emilio Lawrence has joined Luton Town on loan from Manchester City. The 20-year-old played 62 minutes in Luton’s 2-1 home win over Stevenage. - Luton Town website
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL FIXTURES TODAY
No senior Scottish football fixtures today 👎
🙏🏼 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 or consider becoming a paid subscriber. The Scottish Football Kick-Off is reader supported. 📱 Latest subscriber number: 2604 🆓 The daily kick-off will always be free.