Fans across the country are bracing themselves for another 10-month rollercoaster of emotions as the 2023/24 cinch SPFL season begins.
Nowhere does drama quite like the cinch Championship and after a campaign where nine out the 10 teams saw their fate decided on the final day, the league returns with a Friday night classic as Arbroath host Dundee United at Gayfield, live on BBC Scotland (4 August, 7.45pm kick off).
It is the first of three live televised matches on the opening weekend with Sky Sports showing a Saturday double-bill starting with cinch Premiership champions Celtic as they welcome Ross County to Glasgow for Flag Day (5 August, 12.30pm kick off). The Sky cameras then head to Rugby Park as Kilmarnock take on Rangers (5 August 5.15pm kick off).
In between, there are 17 matches at 3pm on Saturday including Dundee’s return to the top flight against Motherwell, Dunfermline and Airdrie taking their places in the second tier while the action also gets underway in cinch League 1 and cinch League 2.
cinch Premiership
The top flight never fails to produce interesting sub-plots and 23/24 looks like no exception.
Brendan Rodgers is back in charge of champions Celtic and after scooping up all domestic honours during his first stint in Glasgow, will we see more of the same this time around or will his Hoops team have a different feel as they chase a third successive league crown?
While Jota may have departed, Celtic have bolstered their squad with emerging talent including Hyunjun Yang, Hyeok-Kyu Kwon and Maik Nawrocki.
Rangers fans were promised a summer of change at Ibrox and new recruits have arrived to mount a title challenge as the Light Blues aim to swing the balance of power back towards Ibrox.
Investment in attacking areas has been the story of the summer with Brazilian forward Danilo joining Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers in a new-look strike force.
Six different sides have finished third in the past six seasons so can Aberdeen hold on to that spot as they balance domestic duties with the added challenge of European group stage football? Barry Robson’s Reds have recruited from both the UK and Balkan markets with the return of captain Graeme Shinnie on a permanent deal sure to boost spirits in the North East.
Edinburgh duo Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian will aim to be hot on the heels of the Dons as they prepare for the new campaign. There’s a new management team at Tynecastle with Gordon Forrest, Frankie McAvoy and Steven Naismith leading the Jam Tarts while Lee Johnson is aiming to reshape his Easter Road men with Dylan Vente and Adam Le Fondre tasked with filling the goalscoring shoes vacated by Kevin Nisbet.
The competitive nature of the Premiership means all clubs will harbour ambitions of making the top six by the time the split arrives. St. Mirren were the ones to claim that place last year and with new striker Stav Nahmani hitting the ground running in the Viaplay Cup, Stephen Robinson’s men will hope to build on a fine 22/23.
The Fir Park faithful are on the hunt for a new king after the mercurial Kevin van Veen returned to the Netherlands but they can be buoyed by the impact made by boss Stuart Kettlewell as Motherwell became a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the season. With a history of developing young talent, the performances of teenager Lennon Miller have certainly caught the eye in the summer months.
Can David Martindale work more magic at Livingston? The Lions progressed from their Viaplay Cup group and can never be discounted, especially at the Tony Macaroni home. With Bruce Anderson and Joel Nouble in attack, Livi are sure to be competitive once more.
What will 23/24 have in store for St. Johnstone under the guidance of Steven MacLean? The Perth men kick off their campaign at home to Hearts with their manager hoping to have a number of injured players back to help his side’s prospects for the season ahead.
Fans of Kilmarnock, Ross County and Dundee all saw their sides leave it late to ensure their Premiership spots for this season but there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding this trio.
Can Killie kick on under Derek McInnes after a 10th place finish and a trip to Hampden last time out? How will Ross County fare after coming through the drama of that memorable Premiership Play-Off final? What can we expect from Tony Docherty’s Dundee after the Dark Blues claimed promotion in a thrilling last-day title decider?
cinch Championship
The cinch Championship was the most competitive division in the SPFL last season, with the league title, relegation battle and the race for the promotion play-offs all being decided on the final day.
Four of the last five titles have been won by the side relegated from the Premiership, which could be a good omen for Dundee United. Jim Goodwin has the task of rebuilding the Terrors for an immediate top flight return but they will have no shortage of challengers for the crown.
Last season’s Championship Player of the Year Dipo Akinyemi shone brightly at Ayr United and while the striker may have departed Ayrshire, the Honest Men still have a sparkling of star dust following the signing of former Celtic and Sunderland ace Aiden McGeady.
Queen’s Park and Partick Thistle both came agonisingly close to promotion towards the end of last season and the pair are ready to regroup with the Spiders now led by Robin Veldman while Kris Doolan remains at the helm at Firhill.
The Spiders have utilised the transfer market to bring in some goalscoring talent in the form of former Queen of the South hotshot, Ruari Paton. Whereas, you could argue that Thistle’s best piece of summer business was getting goal machine (and newly appointed club captain) Brian Graham tied down to the Firhill side until 2025.
Nobody won more points at home last season than Dougie Imrie’s Greenock Morton and after being denied a place in the promotion play-offs due to goal difference, the ‘Ton will be aiming to go one better this time out. Experienced central defender Kirk Broadfoot will no doubt add steel to an already formidable back line.
Injuries ravaged the Inverness CT squad at points last term but while they came up short in a late play-off push and in the Scottish Cup final, Billy Dodds’ men have fresh targets in their sights. Inverness gained the joint most points (30) away from home last year so replicating that form could be key if they have eyes on promotion.
Now under new ownership, Raith Rovers appear rejuvenated with a summer recruitment drive seeing Josh Mullin, Kevin Dabrowski and Keith Watson arrive at Stark’s Park. Ian Murray’s men performed well in their Viaplay Cup group and could be another team looking to rise up the table this time around.
After mounting a title charge in 2021/22, Arbroath were happy to retain their Championship status after a final day draw at home to Hamilton saw them avoid the play-offs. In manager Dick Campbell, the Red Lichties have an experienced operator and they’ll need all of his talent to have another successful season.
Dunfermline Athletic and Airdrieonians are new faces in the division after making the step up from cinch League 1.
The Pars romped to the title under James McPake and the feelgood factor remains around East End Park after securing the services of two of their young league winning talents in Ewan Otoo and Kane Ritchie-Hosler.
Rhys McCabe’s Airdrie were one of the SPFL’s great entertainers last time out. The Diamonds found the net 82 times across their 36 matches – only Celtic and Rangers scored more and the next highest scorers were Falkirk with 70. Having topped their Viaplay Cup group with four wins from four, could Airdrie make their mark on the second tier?
cinch League 1
The most changed division in the SPFL for the coming season – only 6 of last season’s 10 clubs remain for 23/24.
Hamilton Academical and Cove Rangers were relegated into the league with Accies now under new ownership while Paul Hartley’s Cove decided to make the step to full-time football.
Accies have added proven goalscoring quality in the form of Kevin O’Hara and former Alloa Athletic loanee Euan Henderson while the re-signing of Reghan Tumilty means that the Lanarkshire outfit possess arguably the division’s best right-back.
Cove arguably boast the division’s best midfield, with the experienced Paul McGowan and tenacious former Alloa man, Mouhamed Niang bolstering an area which already boasts a plethora of quality in the form of Fraser Fyvie & Blair Yule.
Falkirk will once again be highly fancied to feature in the promotion race after finishing second behind Dunfermline last year. John McGlynn led the Bairns to Hampden in his first year in charge and in Alfredo Agyeman, the Falkirk fans could have a new cult hero in the making.
They start at home to divisional newcomers Annan on Saturday and will be looking to break their opening day hoodoo, having never won an opening league fixture at the Falkirk Stadium!
Stirling Albion and Annan Athletic are new to the league having made the step up from cinch League 2.
After getting the better of Dumbarton in last season’s title chase, Stirling made everyone take note of their talents after a 4-0 Viaplay Cup win over Premiership side St. Johnstone in Perth. While the Binos haven’t brought too many new faces in, keeping hold of key players such as Dale Carrick & Jack Leitch could prove pivotal in their third tier campaign.
Annan supporters can enjoy their first ever season in the third tier after a thrilling play-off win over Clyde and in the form of talismanic striker Tommy Goss, the Galabankies have a man who knows his way to goal.
Alloa Athletic pipped Queen of the South to the final promotion play-off spot in 22/23 but will both sides be in the mix once more?
Marvin Bartley’s Doonhamers will be without last season’s division top scorer after Ruari Paton left for Queen’s Park but they have added a blend of youth and experience to their squad including the arrival of former Celtic & Hibernian defender Efe Ambrose.
Brian Rice’s Wasps can still count on Conor Sammon to lead the line with many of the club’s new recruits arriving with experience of this division already under their belts. In Stefan Scougall the Wasps possess one of the most talented midfielders in the division – a fantastic ball player with supreme technique and vision.
Edinburgh City, Montrose and Kelty Hearts finished sixth, seventh and eighth respectively last term.
Montrose added to their attacking options by paying a fee to secure Kane Hester’s services from Elgin City. The Mighty Mo will be hoping Hester can strike up a partnership with Rory McAllister, who has scored more Scottish league goals (240) than any other player currently playing in the SPFL.
Michael Tidser is the man at the helm of Kelty Hearts now and a morale-boosting penalty shoot-out triumph over Ross County will bring cause for optimism for the club’s fans. Look out for 21-year-old star Tiwi Daramola who has impressed in the Viaplay Cup group stage after a successful spell at non-league side Bo’ness Athletic.
Edinburgh City’s biggest summer move saw Ouzy See make a brief switch to ITV television show Love Island but the player has rekindled his romance with Alan Maybury’s team as they seek to build on a campaign where they remained in play-off contention for much of the season.
The league will feature six brand new fixtures in the Scottish football calendar - Annan Athletic will have their first league meetings with Falkirk, Hamilton and local rivals Queen of the South. Kelty Hearts will face Cove and Hamilton for the first time in the league, while Hamilton and Edinburgh City will also face off in the league for the first time.
cinch League 2
The fourth tier looks set for yet another compelling campaign, with three new clubs joining the ranks – two via relegation and one promoted through the pyramid play-off.
Both Clyde and Peterhead struggled to gain any real momentum in a cutthroat League 1 last term, with both sides looking to use the upcoming season as a launchpad for future prosperity.
Brian McLean has moved from the heart of defence to the dugout at the Bully Wee, replacing Jim Duffy who has moved into a Director of Football role at the club. Martin Rennie bagged a couple of key goals towards the end of last term and could prove to be the focal point of Clyde’s attack this season.
Peterhead have had their own managerial overhaul over the summer, with Jordon Brown & Ryan Strachan balancing co-manager duties along with remaining members of the Blue Toon’s playing squad. Despite being winless in their Viaplay Cup section, Peterhead showed marked signs of improvement on the park and look like they could be formidable customers in a tight division this term.
The Spartans became the 5th club to reach the SPFL via the pyramid play-offs when they defeated Albion Rovers over two legs back in May.
Spartans boss Dougie Samuel is now the SPFL’s longest serving current manager, having first taken the reins at the Ainslie Park club back in June 2012. In Blair Henderson the Edinburgh-based side have a proven goalscorer at this level, having been crowned the division’s top marksman (30 goals) in 2018/19 whilst playing for Edinburgh City.
Stevie Farrell’s Dumbarton side will no doubt be promotion contenders once again, having led the division for a large chunk of 22/23 before eventually being beaten to the title by Stirling Albion. Brett Long kept a league high 16 clean sheets last season and is a formidable last line of defence while in young midfielder Finlay Gray the Sons possess one of the most exciting prospects in the lower leagues.
Expect East Fife and Forfar Athletic to be in the mix at the top end of the table, having finished in 4th & 5th places respectively last time out.
The Fifers gathered a great amount of momentum towards the back end of 22/23, making it all the way to the play-off semis before eventually succumbing to a solid Clyde side. Over the summer the men from Methil have rekindled an old love affair with the re-signing of former favourite and goalscoring extraordinaire, Nathan Austin. “Fash” will be keen to add to his already 40+ goals for the black & golds and spearhead a promotion push.
Under the stewardship of Ray McKinnon, Forfar showed great improvement in the second half of last season after flattering to deceive for much of the early going. The Loons were excellent in their Viaplay Cup group section, winning 3 of their 4 fixtures with their only defeat coming at the hands of top-flight St. Mirren. New forward Josh Skelly bagged 111 goals in the past two seasons with non-league Broughty Ferry and will likely be a candidate for the division’s goalscoring accolades.
Stenhousemuir and Stranraer will be looking to improve upon mid-table finishes last term, with both sides utilising the transfer market to bolster their goalscoring ranks.
Stranraer have turned to Tam Orr to fire them up the league, with the striker re-joining the side in the south-west after a couple of years at Ochilview. And it looks as though Orr will share goalscoring duties with powerful forward Ben Armour, who joins Scott Agnew’s side fresh off hitting the net 9 times for Forfar Athletic last term
The Warriors have also looked to Angus to top up their attacking ranks, with Matthew Aitken making the switch to Ochilview after scoring 16 league goals for Forfar over the past two seasons. Manager Gary Naysmith has also keenly bolstered the Stenny back line, with former Falkirk captain Gregor Buchanan making the move to FK5 after leaving Dumbarton in the summer.
After narrowly avoiding the pyramid play-off spot last season, both Bonnyrigg Rose and Elgin City will be keen to kick on and improve in 23/24.
The Rosey Posey had a bright start to life in the SPFL last term but couldn’t maintain their early season form. However, with that first season under their belt and now no longer being the division’s new boys, Robbie Horn’s side will be keen to make a bigger splash this season. Goalkeeper Paddy Martin impressed at New Dundas Park whilst on loan last time out and could prove to be a key signing having joined on a permanent deal from Falkirk over the close season.
Elgin meanwhile are looking at life without prolific forward Kane Hester, with the goal machine making the switch to Montrose ahead of the new campaign. Manager Ross Draper will be looking to key midfielder Russell Dingwall to shoulder much of the goalscoring load having bagged 15 in all competitions in 22/23, while young Aberdeen loanee Liam Harvey could prove to be an exciting acquisition for City’s attack.
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