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Monday 22nd April 2024

Weekend in numbers

Resident statto @splstats looks at some of the numbers from the weekend...

1 – Dundee United all but sealed the cinch Championship title thanks to a 1-0 victory over Ayr United at Tannadice. Chris Mochrie scored the only goal of the game to take United six points clear of Raith Rovers with two matches remaining, and with a surely unassailable advantage of 36 in terms of goal difference. Jim Goodwin’s side have peaked at the right time – they have won four consecutive league matches for the first time this season to overhaul Raith at the top and effectively secure a return to the cinch Premiership at the first time of asking. United have completed a clean sweep over the Honest Men this season, winning four games out of four and conceding just a single goal in the process.

4 – Partick Thistle thumped Airdrieonians 4-0 to secure a top-four finish in the cinch Championship. A Brian Graham double and goals from Aidan Fitzpatrick and Ricco Diack helped the Jags secure their joint biggest victory of the season. Graham’s brace took him to 20 league goals for the season, three clear at the top of the division’s goalscoring chart. He is the first Thistle player to score 20 league goals in a season since his current manager Kris Doolan did so in 2010/11 – it is also the highest tally of Graham’s career, his previous best being 18 with Raith Rovers in 2012/13. Results elsewhere also secured Airdrie’s spot in the promotion play-offs – these sides will face each other in the quarter-finals, and Thistle have the upper hand in terms of form with two wins and a draw from four league meetings.

3 – Alloa Athletic defeated Cove Rangers 3-2 at Balmoral Stadium to seal third place in cinch League 1. Goals from Miko Virtanen and Bobby Wales gave Alloa a 2-0 lead but this was pegged back to 2-2 before Wales struck his second of the game in the final minute to secure a dramatic win. The on-loan Kilmarnock striker has caught fire at the right time for the Wasps – he has scored 12 times in his last 15 games. Alloa won all four league matches against Cove this season, which has proved vital as both teams battled it out for a play-off spot. The Wasps will face Hamilton Academical in the semi-finals and will be seeking revenge after Accies knocked them out at the same stage last season.

4 – Spartans sealed a top-four finish in cinch League 2 courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Bonnyrigg Rose at New Dundas Park. Blair Henderson scored the only goal of the game to confirm Dougie Samuel’s side’s spot in the promotion play-offs in their debut season in the SPFL. Henderson has now scored 18 league goals, moving him four clear of Matty Aitken in the race to finish as the division’s top scorer. Spartans are unbeaten in their four league matches against Bonnyrigg, with two wins and two draws – this is a complete role reversal from their Lowland League days, where the sides met four times in total across three seasons with Rose picking up three wins and a draw.

22 – Celtic and Rangers will contest the 2023/24 Scottish Cup final after both sides won their semi-finals at Hampden this weekend. Celtic overcame Aberdeen 6-5 on penalties following a pulsating 3-3 draw in Saturday’s semi-final, while Rangers defeated Heart of Midlothian 2-0 on Sunday. This will be the first time in 22 years that these sides have faced each other in the Scottish Cup final – the last time was a 3-2 Rangers victory in 2002. The cup final will be the second of two huge meetings of the Glasgow rivals next month – they will also lock horns at Celtic Park in the cinch Premiership on Saturday May 11 in what could prove to be a title decider.

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