Resident statto @splstats looks at some of the numbers behind the weekend games, with the focus on Kilmarnock, Celtic, Morton, Peterhead and Forfar.
10 Kilmarnock moved up to eighth in the Ladbrokes Premiership after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Ross County at Rugby Park on Saturday. Killie’s win ended a run of seven straight defeats against County and saw them move level on points with their opponents in the battle for the top six. Kris Boyd opened the scoring after just 10 seconds, which was the fastest top-flight goal scored this century. A lack of reliable records from the pre-internet era makes it difficult to identify the fastest-ever top-flight goal but it appears to have been scored by Dunfermline’s Charlie Dickson, who netted in just under 10 seconds back in 1960. This match was also notable for being Jock Stein’s first game in charge of the Pars, with Dickson’s early strike inspiring them to a 3-2 win over Stein’s future club Celtic.
27 Celtic remain 22 points clear at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table after thumping Hearts 4-0 at Celtic Park on Sunday. The Bhoys have still not lost a domestic fixture this season; in 27 matches they have picked up 26 wins and a draw. This is their best post-war start to a domestic season, eclipsing the 26-match run recorded by the Lisbon Lions in 1966/67. Brendan Rodgers’ side still have some way to go to match the all-time club record of 36 unbeaten domestic matches from the start of the season, set exactly a century ago in the 1916/17 campaign. Including the final match of last season, the Bhoys are undefeated in 28 domestic fixtures, and are now almost halfway to the club’s all-time record of 62 unbeaten, which was recorded between 1915 and 1917.
7 Morton extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions with a 4-1 victory over Ayr United at Somerset Park. Morton had failed to win on any of their last four visits but blew The Honest Men away with three goals inside the opening 31 minutes on Saturday. Jim Duffy’s side have closed to within three points of second-placed Dundee United in the Ladbrokes Championship table, with a game in hand against Raith Rovers to come. The Ton have picked up nine wins and four draws in their last 14 matches, with their only defeat coming against Dunfermline at East End Park in December.
11 Peterhead recorded their first home win since October, defeating Queen’s Park 4-0 at Balmoor to move to within three points of the League 1 promotion play-offs. Queen’s Park were probably the ideal opponents for the Blue Toon to end their dismal run – Peterhead have now recorded 10 wins and a draw in their last 11 matches against the Spiders in all competitions. In fact, Queen’s Park have only recorded one win in their last 19 matches against Peterhead – that came back in February 2013.
8 Forfar Athletic remain eight points clear at the top of Ladbrokes League 2 after a 3-1 victory over Cowdenbeath at Station Park on Saturday. Gary Bollan’s side are now unbeaten in eight matches in all competitions, with their last defeat coming against Arbroath in early December. The Loons have won all three of their games against the Blue Brazil this season, despite having conceded the first goal each time. In all, Forfar have come from behind to win seven League 2 matches this season.
