6 – Champions Celtic rounded off their cinch Premiership season by drubbing Motherwell 6-0 at Celtic Park. Goals from Kyogo Furuhashi (2), David Turnbull and Jota, plus a double from substitute Giorgos Giakoumakis helped Ange Postecoglou’s side complete the league season with an unbeaten home record. The Hoops have now won 10 of the last 11 league titles, taking their tally to 52 in total. Celtic have now recorded 12 consecutive victories against Motherwell in all competitions, racking up a 40-5 aggregate score in the process.
4 – Dundee United defeated Ross County 2-1 at the Global Energy Stadium to seal fourth place in the cinch Premiership. A double from Nicky Clark helped Tam Courts’ side come from behind to secure their entry into the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League. The Terrors lost just three of their final 15 league matches to climb to their highest league finish since 2013/14. United are unbeaten in their last seven visits to Dingwall in the league, a run which consists of five wins and two draws, although they did suffer defeats in the Highlands in the League Cup and Scottish Cup during this period.
5 – Inverness Caledonian Thistle moved a step closer to place in the cinch Premiership after a penalty shoot-out victory over Arbroath in the play-off semi-final. Billy Dodds’ side were reduced to nine men during ¬Friday night’s game but held on for a 0-0 draw (and 0-0 aggregate scoreline) before scoring all five of their penalties to win the shoot-out 5-3. It was just the third time in Scottish domestic football history that a two-legged tie had finished goalless – the others were a League Cup tie between Dundee and Kilmarnock in 1980/81 and the 2009 Division 2 play-off final between Stenhousemuir and Cowdenbeath. The Caley Jags will now face St Johnstone over two legs as they aim to secure their return to the top flight after five seasons away.
39 – Queen’s Park will play in the second tier of Scottish football for the first time in 39 years thanks to a 2-1 victory over Airdrieonians at the Excelsior Stadium in the cinch Championship play-off final on Sunday. Owen Coyle’s side fell behind early on but Connor Smith’s equaliser took the tie to extra-time, where Simon Murray’s penalty secured a 3-2 aggregate victory. The Spiders last played in the second tier back in 1982/83 under the management of Eddie Hunter. This is the third time Queen’s Park have secured promotion via the play-offs – they also won the Division 2 play-offs in 2006/07 and the League 1 play-offs in 2015/16.
1 – Edinburgh City defeated Annan Athletic 3-2 on aggregate to book their place in cinch League 1 for next season. Alan Maybury’s side had led 2-0 from the first leg, but Annan levelled the tie up within the opening 20 minutes only for Innes Murray to score a second-half goal which sealed their promotion. It was third time lucky for Edinburgh City, who had lost out in these play-offs in 2018/19 and 2020/21. The Citizens were the first side to gain promotion the SPFL via the pyramid, winning their play-off back in 2016, before Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts followed in their footsteps in 2019 and 2021. All three clubs have now progressed to the third tier within that short period, with Cove making it as far as the cinch Championship.
4 – Bonnyrigg Rose became the newest members of the SPFL thanks to a comprehensive 4-0 aggregate victory over Cowdenbeath in the cinch League 2 play-off. Robbie Horn’s side led 3-0 from the home leg, and a Neil Martyniuk penalty ensured that the Lowland League champions would take their place in cinch League 2 next season. The Rose moved from Junior football into the East of Scotland League in 2018/19, and immediately won that league to gain promotion to the Lowland League, which they won in emphatic fashion this season. They are the third Lowland League club to earn promotion to the SPFL, compared to just one from the Highland League. Bonnyrigg will be the first club from the present day region of Midlothian to play in the Scottish League, though of course the city of Edinburgh was part of the historic country of Midlothian, as the club name “Heart of Midlothian” might suggest.
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