⚽ The Kick-Off | Monday 15th December 2025
St Mirren win the Premier Sports Cup. Ross County and Tony Docherty part ways. Auchinleck Talbot move cup game against Celtic to Kilmarnock. Scottish Cup TV picks confirmed.
🌎 Days until Haiti v Scotland at the World Cup: 180
📒 Random Scottish Football Fact #211: The only domestic Scottish senior trophy St Mirren haven’t won twice is the Scottish Challenge Cup. They win it in the 2005–06 season. (Scottish Cup: 1926, 1959, & 1987; Scottish League Cup: 2013 & 2025)
WEEKEND ROUND-UP
🏆 PREMIER SPORTS CUP FINAL
Congratulations to St Mirren who won the Premier Sports Cup Final yesterday. It was the Buddies second League Cup trophy after winning it for the first time in 2013.
Celtic have now lost back-to-back domestic cup finals and Wilfred Nancy has lost his first three games in charge.
St Mirren 3 - 1 Celtic
➡️ WILLIAM HILL PREMIERSHIP
Aberdeen have moved level on points with fifth-placed Hibernian following their home win over Kilmarnock yesterday. Dundee United’s last league win was on October 25. Livingston are three points behind Kilmarnock in 11th.
Aberdeen 2-1 Kilmarnock
Dundee United 0-0 Motherwell
Falkirk 0-1 Heart of Midlothian
Livingston 2-2 Dundee
View the Premiership table here
➡️ WILLIAM HILL CHAMPIONSHIP
St Johnstone have moved three points clear thanks to their late turnaround away to Ayr on Friday night. Ross County are now five points behind eighth-placed Airdrieonians and two points behind ninth-placed Queen’s Park.
Arbroath 2-1 Partick Thistle
Ayr United 2-4 St Johnstone
Greenock Morton 0-1 Airdrieonians
Queen’s Park 1-1 Dunfermline Athletic
Raith Rovers 6-0 Ross County
View the Championship table here
➡️ WILLIAM HILL LEAGUE ONE
Inverness are now five points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand. Alloa remain second despite their defeat. Bottom-of-the-table Kelty Hearts are now 12 points behind eighth-placed Montrose. Cove Rangers are 11 behind.
Alloa Athletic 0-2 Queen of the South
Cove Rangers 0-1 East Fife
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4-0 Hamilton Academical
Montrose 3-0 Stenhousemuir
Peterhead 3-2 Kelty Hearts
View the League One table here
➡️ WILLIAM HILL LEAGUE TWO
It is getting very tight at the top of League Two. East Kilbride and The Spartans are level on 28 points, with Clyde just two points behind. Stranraer’s good run of form has seen them move into the play-off spots at the expense of Saturday’s opponents, Elgin.
Annan Athletic 3-1 Forfar Athletic
Dumbarton 2-0 East Kilbride
Edinburgh City 1-4 Clyde
Elgin City 1-2 Stranraer
Stirling Albion 1-1 Spartans
View the League Two table here
➡️ SWPL 1
Glasgow City continue to lead the SWPL 1. They have only conceded four league goals after 13 games. At the opposite end, Hamilton Academical have conceded 57 goals after the same number of games, scoring just three. Last season’s champions, Hibernian, are now 10 points behind the leaders.
Celtic 4-0 Aberdeen
Glasgow City 7-0 Hamilton Academical
Montrose 1-1 Hibernian
Motherwell 0-3 Heart of Midlothian
Rangers 3-0 Partick Thistle
⚽️ THE LATE GOALS SOCIETY
(goals scored in the 85th minute or later)
Tete Yengi (Livingston - 85’), Jesper Karlsson (Aberdeen - 85’)
Josh McPake (St Johnstone - 88’), Kai Fotheringham (St Johnstone - 90+2’)
Gregor Nicol (East Fife - 85’), Jack Brown (Peterhead - 87’)
Ryan Muir (Annan Athletic - 85’), Scott Rough (Stranraer - 90+2’), Marley Redfern (Clyde - 90+3’)
Lisa Forrest (Glasgow City - 85’), Abi Harrison (Glasgow City - 90+2’)
🔴 THE RED CARD CLUB
Ryan McGowan (Livingston), Craig Watson (Arbroath), Russell Dingwall (Elgin City)
NEWS
👋 Following Ross County’s 6-0 defeat to Raith Rovers on Saturday, the club has parted company with Tony Docherty by ‘mutual consent’.
Assistant Callum Davidson has also left the club, leaving the Championship club searching for their third permanent manager of the season. - BBC
🏟️ Auchinleck Talbot’s Scottish Cup Fourth Round tie against Celtic will now take place at Rugby Park. Despite announcing the game will take place at Beechwood Park, the West of Scotland Premier Division club announced on X on Friday that “Following various meetings and lengthy discussions involving East Ayrshire Council, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Football Association, the club has taken the difficult and extremely disappointing decision to relocate our Men’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup 4th Round tie v Celtic F.C to BBSP Rugby Park.” - Auchinleck Talbot on X
📺 The Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Fourth Round television picks are:
Friday, 16 January 2026 (Kick-off 7:45pm) - Rangers v Annan Athletic | Live on Premier Sports
Saturday, 17 January 2026 (Kick-off 12:30pm) - Dunfermline Athletic v Hibernian | Live on BBC Scotland
Saturday, 17 January 2026 (Kick-off 8pm) - Heart of Midlothian v Falkirk | Live on Premier Sports
Sunday, 18 January (Kick-off 2:30pm) - Aberdeen v Raith Rovers | Live on BBC One Scotland
Sunday, 18 January 2026 (Kick-off 5:30pm) - Auchinleck Talbot v Celtic | Live on Premier Sports
🏟️ Aberdeen and the city council have moved towards an agreement to build the club’s new beachfront stadium.
Chief Executive Alan Burrows told the BBC: “We have agreed to work towards a heads of terms that seeks to explore the delivery of a new stadium for Aberdeen.” - Ben Philip & Robbie Boyle, BBC
📝 Motherwell goalkeeper Calum Ward has signed a contract extension until 2027. - Motherwell FC website
🆕 New Dumbarton manager Frank McKeown has appointed Mark Docherty, Stephen Simmons, and Eric Phillips to his backroom staff. - Dumbarton FC website
🟢 Following yesterday’s cup final defeat, angry Celtic fans protested against the board outside Celtic Park. - Blair Meikle, The Herald
⚽️ Forwards Tommy Conway (Middlesbrough), Kyle Joseph, and Oli McBurnie (Hull City) were all on the scoresheet in the English Championship this weekend.
Scotland Under-21 international Ibane Bowat scored his first goal for Portsmouth. The defender scored the winner in a 2-1 home win over Blackburn Rovers.
⚽️ Oli Burke scored his first Bundesliga goal since September. Burke scored in Union Berlin’s 3-1 win over RB Leipzig.
➡️ None of the top eight in the Breedon Highland League won this weekend.
League leaders Brechin City lost 1-0 away to Strathspey Thistle. Formartine United couldn’t take advantage and had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to Wick Academy. Clachnacuddin and Nairn County also finished 0-0 at a blustery Grant Street Park in Inverness.
Despite 0-0 draws in the Highland League being relatively rare, there was a third one on Saturday with Brora Rangers and Fraserburgh cancelling each other out. Keith beat Banks o’Dee 3-0 in another result that caught the eye. - view the Highland League table
➡️ In the Park’s Motor Group Lowland League, league leaders Clydebank won 1-0 at home to Civil Service Strollers. The chasing pack of Bonnyrigg Rose, Broxburn Athletic, and Linlithgow Rose all picked up wins.
Bonnyrigg beat Cowdenbeath 3-2, Broxburn beat Berwick 5-0 away, and Linlithgow won 2-0 at Cumbernauld Colts. Tranent missed the opportunity to keep up with the top four by drawing 1-1 with Gretna 2008. - view the Lowland League table here
🌎 Scotland v Brazil in Miami was FIFA’s fifth-most requested match in the Random Selection Ballot after the first 24 hours of the window being open. - FIFA website
🎟️ The Association of Tartan Army Clubs has called on the Scottish FA to take a stance with FIFA about their ticketing pricing for participating nations. - Dave Harley, ATAC website
The FA are contacting FIFA to share fan concerns of the ticket prices. - Dale Johnson & Dan Roan, BBC
🫡 A council motion is being brought forward to make Steve Clarke an Honorary Freeman of North Ayrshire. - Murray Grayston, The Herald
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL FIXTURES TODAY
➡️ WILLIAM HILL PREMIERSHIP
Rangers v Hibernian (7.45pm)
🙏🏼 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: 2545 🆓 The daily kick-off will always be free.