@splstats looks at some of the numbers behind the weekend games, with the focus on Kilmarnock, Rangers, Dunfermline, East Fife and Arbroath.
200 – Kris Boyd netted in Kilmarnock’s 2-1 Ladbrokes Premiership defeat to Motherwell to take his tally to 200 Scottish top-flight goals. Boyd’s first league goal also came for Killie against Motherwell at Rugby Park, back in November 2001, and since then he has netted 99 for Killie and 101 for Rangers. Only 19 players in the history of Scottish football have reached a double century and Boyd is just the fifth to do so since World War II. The last player to reach a double century was Ally McCoist, who finished his career with 260 top-flight goals. Amazingly, Boyd’s debut for Killie, a 1-0 win over Celtic in May 2001, was also McCoist’s final game as a professional. The other post-war double centurions were Willie Wallace (223), Joe McBride (221) and Jimmy Wardhaugh (210). It didn’t all go smoothly for Boyd on Saturday – he missed a last-minute penalty which would have given his side a point. Instead, the Steelmen recorded a fourth consecutive win at Rugby Park to move out of the relegation play-off spot.
6 – Rangers thumped Hamilton Accies 6-0 at Ibrox to move into the Scottish Cup semi-final for the third time in four seasons. Joe Garner came off the bench to score a hat-trick – the last time a substitute netted three for the Gers was back in April 2000, when Billy Dodds bagged a treble in a 7-0 Scottish Cup semi-final win against Ayr United. Saturday’s success was Rangers’ biggest home win since August 2014, when Clyde were thumped 8-1 at Ibrox in a Challenge Cup tie. The Light Blues have suffered just one defeat in their last 39 home matches – that came against Celtic on Hogmanay.
4 – Dunfermline Athletic moved five points clear of the Ladbrokes Championship relegation play-off spot after thumping Dumbarton 5-1 at East End Park. The Pars are now unbeaten in their last seven home matches in all competitions, with their last defeat coming against Dundee United in the IRN-BRU Cup back in November. Nicky Clark scored four times – he is the first player to net four or more in a game for the Pars since January 1998, when Andy Smith netted five times in a 7-2 Scottish Cup victory over Edinburgh City. The last Dunfermline player to score four in a league game was George O’Boyle in a 5-0 victory over Clyde in May 1994.
6 – East Fife climbed to third place in Ladbrokes League 1 after beating Albion Rovers 2-0 at Bayview on Saturday. The Fifers are unbeaten at home in the league since Barry Smith took over in December – they have picked up five wins and a draw and have kept four clean sheets in the process. East Fife are now unbeaten in their last five matches against the Wee Rovers – they have picked up three wins and two draws since their last defeat back in August 2014. The Fifers are three points clear of fifth-placed Brechin City in the race for the promotion play-off spots – if Smith’s men keep up their excellent home form they will have a good chance of returning to the second tier for the first time in 20 years.
10 – Arbroath remain six points behind Forfar Athletic at the top of Ladbrokes League 2 after drawing 0-0 with Elgin City at Borough Briggs on Saturday. Dick Campbell’s side set a new club record for consecutive away league games without a defeat – they have gone 10 without losing on the road since a 3-2 reverse at Broadwood in September. The Red Lichties have lost just one away fixture in League 2 this season, which is in stark contrast to last term’s campaign, when they lost 10 of their 18 away matches.
