@splstats looks at some of the numbers behind the weekend games, with the focus on Ross County, Celtic, Rangers, Peterhead and East Fife.
15 Ross County claimed major silverware for the first time after defeating Hibernian 2-1 in the Scottish League Cup Final. The Staggies became the sixth different winner in the last six seasons, and the third club in that period to lift the trophy for the first time. There have now been 15 different League Cup winners in the 70-year history of the tournament. County became the 28th side to win one of Scottish football’s two major trophies, just 10 months after rivals Inverness CT became the 27th. County’s success means that only three of the 22 clubs in the top two tiers of Scottish football are without a major trophy – Hamilton Accies from the Premiership, and Alloa Athletic and Queen of the South from the Championship.
16 Celtic maintained their one-point lead at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table after defeating Partick Thistle 2-1 at Firhill. Leigh Griffiths opened the scoring with his 35th goal of the season, making him the first player to reach that tally since Henrik Larsson in 2003/04. The Bhoys have now recorded 16 consecutive victories against the Jags, a run the stretches all the way back to 2002. Sean Welsh’s consolation penalty for Thistle on Saturday was just the sixth goal that Thistle have scored against Celtic during this run – the aggregate scoreline is 42-6 in Celtic’s favour.
16 Rangers moved 14 points clear of Falkirk at the summit of the Ladbrokes Championship after defeating Morton 3-1 at Ibrox on Friday night. Mark Warburton’s side are now unbeaten in 16 matches at Ibrox in all competitions – their last defeat came against St Johnstone in the League Cup back in September. Since then, they’ve recorded 14 wins and two draws, racking up 44 goals in the process. The Gers are the only club in the country who remain unbeaten at home in the league – they have taken 43 points from a possible 45.
17 Peterhead pulled three points clear of Ayr United in second place in Ladbrokes League 1 after defeating Stenhousemuir 4-1 at Ochilview. On their last trip to Stenhousemuir back in October, the Blue Toon threw away a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3, a defeat which left them just two points clear of the relegation play-offs. Since then, Jim McInally’s side have put together a 17-match unbeaten run in the league, picking up 12 wins and five draws. Peterhead remain 11 points adrift of leaders Dunfermline, but have a 17-point gap to fifth-placed Albion Rovers, and are all but assured of their place in the play-offs.
5 East Fife moved back to the top of Ladbrokes League 2 after defeating Annan Athletic 4-2 at Bayview on Saturday. Gary Naysmith’s side have now recorded five home wins on the bounce, the first time they have done so in almost five years. The last time they managed five straight wins at Bayview was between April and August 2011 – they haven’t done six in a row since 2007. The Fifers’ last home defeat came against Elgin on January 2 – a loss which left them in sixth place, eight points adrift of their league-topping opponents. In 10 league matches since then, the Fifers have picked up 25 points, and now find themselves a point ahead of Elgin at the summit.
