3 – Kilmarnock secured third spot in the Ladbrokes Premiership and a place in Europe courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Rugby Park. Eamonn Brophy’s late penalty ensured the Ayrshire side celebrated their 150th anniversary by finishing in the top three for the first time since 1965/66. Killie will now play in Europe for the first time in 18 years – their last foray into continental competition was under Bobby Williamson in 2001/02. Steve Clarke’s side have picked up two wins and two draws against Rangers in the league this season – the first time they have completed an undefeated league season against the Ibrox side since 1968/69.
18 – Despite Sunday’s defeat at Rugby Park, Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos still had one reason to celebrate – his goal kept him at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership goalscoring chart with 18 league strikes this season and ensured he won the inaugural Premiership Tartan Ball. The Colombian finished one goal ahead of Aberdeen’s Sam Cosgrove, whose missed penalty in stoppage time at Easter Road proved costly. Morelos finished the campaign on 30 goals in all competitions – he is the first Light Blues player to reach that tally since Kris Boyd netted 31 in 2008/09.
6 – Hamilton Academical defeated St Johnstone 2-0 at the Hope CBD Stadium to ensure their Ladbrokes Premiership survival for another year. Accies lost just one of their last six matches to secure a 10th-place finish ahead of St Mirren and Dundee. Next season will be their sixth year in a row in the Ladbrokes Premiership – prior to promotion they had only spent six of the previous 60 seasons in the top flight. Brian Rice’s arrival in January marked a crucial upturn in Accies’ home form – they only lost one of their eight home matches under Rice.
3 – Dundee United defeated Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3-0 at Tannadice to set up a Ladbrokes Premiership play-off final with St Mirren. Robbie Neilson’s side led 1-0 from the first leg, and goals from Nicky Clark, Osman Sow and Pavol Safranko ensured they moved one step closer to sealing their return to the top flight after three years in the second tier. The Terrors defeated Saints in the Scottish Cup earlier this season, and have lost just three of their last 15 games against the Paisley side.
7 – Queen of the South preserved their place in the Ladbrokes Championship thanks to a 0-0 draw with Raith Rovers in the Ladbrokes Championship play-off final second leg. Queens led 3-1 from Wednesday’s first leg, and were able to see out a goalless draw to secure a seventh consecutive season in the second tier. Allan Johnston was the manager who took them there in the first place, but he left for Kilmarnock before he could manage the club in the Championship – he will now have the chance to pick up where he left off.
3 – Clyde secured promotion to Ladbrokes League 1 thanks to a 2-0 victory over Annan Athletic at Broadwood on Saturday. Danny Lennon’s side trailed 1-0 from the first leg at Galabank, but goals from Martin McNiff and Ally Love ensured The Bully Wee escaped the bottom tier after nine seasons. The last time Clyde tasted promotion was back in 1999/00, when they won the old Division Two title. They then spent nine years in the second tier before tumbling through the divisions in consecutive years. They will be hoping this promotion kick-starts an upturn in their fortunes – it was only 15 years ago that they were two matches away from promotion to the top flight.
7 – Cove Rangers will be the newest members of the SPFL following their 3-0 victory over Berwick Rangers at Shielfield on Saturday. The Highland League champions sealed a 7-0 aggregate victory to became just the second club to earn their spot in the SPFL via the Ladbrokes League 2 play-offs. Aberdeen now has two clubs in the Scottish League for the first time – it is the eighth town or city in Scotland to have managed this at some point in history, joining Ayr, Dumbarton, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow and Paisley.
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