@splstats looks at some of the numbers behind Sunday’s Petrofac Training Cup Final between Rangers and Peterhead at Hampden.
5 Rangers secured the Ladbrokes Championship title on Tuesday night, which means they have the opportunity to do a double. Four previous clubs have won the second-tier title and the Challenge Cup in the same season - the last were St Mirren in 2005/06. Falkirk managed it twice, in 1993/94 and 2004/05, while Inverness CT won both trophies in 2003/04. An honourable mention should go to Queen of the South, who doubled up a Challenge Cup win with a third-tier title in 2012/13. The Gers are also looking to become just the third club to win all three lower-tier divisions and the Challenge Cup - only Ross County and Livingston have achieved this.
5 Peterhead are competing in the Challenge Cup final for the first time. Fourteen different clubs have won the trophy, and either Peterhead or Rangers will become the 15th on Sunday. The Blue Toon will be hoping to become just the fifth club to win the Challenge Cup whilst playing below the second tier. The first were Stenhousemuir, who defeated Dundee United on penalties in 1995/96, before Stranraer matched them the following season by beating St Johnstone 1-0. In 1999/00 Alloa Athletic triumphed over Inverness CT on penalties after an epic 4-4 draw, and most recently Queen of the South defeated Partick Thistle on penalties in 2012/13.
2 Rangers are competing in their second Challenge Cup final, having previously lost to Raith Rovers in 2013/14. Only one club has competed in two Challenge Cup finals without winning the trophy – that is Ayr United, who lost in the final in each of the first two competitions. Dundee defeated them 3-2 in 1990/91, and Hamilton Accies beat them 1-0 the following season. Since then, seven first-time losers have competed in a second final, and all seven of them have lifted the trophy.
8 Peterhead striker Rory McAllister is the top scorer in this season’s competition, with a whopping eight goals. No other player has scored more than three, including Kenny Miller and Martyn Waghorn. McAllister has scored in every round and five of his goals came in a single match - the stunning 5-3 victory at Falkirk in the second round. McAllister’s tally of eight is already a competition record – the previous best was seven, set by Morton’s Alex Mathie in 1992/93 and Alloa’s Greig Spence last season.
1 Hampden Park will be playing host to the Challenge Cup final for the first time in the tournament’s 25th season. McDiarmid Park in Perth has been by far the most common venue, with nine previous finals played there, including last season’s showpiece. Broadwood and Fir Park have hosted the final four times, while the Excelsior Stadium and Almondvale have each had it twice. The other three finals were played at Love Street, Dens Park and Easter Road. This season’s final at the National Stadium will easily beat the Challenge Cup final attendance record of 19,983 set in Raith Rovers’ 1-0 victory over Rangers at Easter Road two years ago.
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