Scottish Championship form duo in BBC TV spotlight (2024)

The big Scottish Championship crowds will be at East End Park and Stark's Park this weekend, but Friday night brings together the two form teams of the second tier in front of BBC Scotland cameras (19:45 GMT).

In the spotlight as Ayr United host Airdrieonians will be two of Scotland's up-and-coming young managers.

The hosts have continued the improvement they showed last season as they narrowly avoided relegation after Scott Brown's first half-season as head coach.

The 39-year-old former Celtic and Scotland midfielder has put behind him the disappointment of being sacked after his first, short-lived spell in management with Fleetwood Town.

Ayr missed out on progression from their League Cup group on goal difference behind Championship rivals Falkirk and promoted Dundee United.

And Brown recognises that "in this league, anyone can beat anyone", telling Ayr United TV "that's the amazing thing about the Championship".

Even so, they started the league season with a convincing 2-0 win away to promoted Hamilton Academical and will be seeking a fourth consecutive win as the Diamonds visit Somerset Park.

Visiting player-manager Rhys McCabe has seen enough of Friday's hosts to remark that "it'll be a difficult task", especially as he has noticed "a good bit of progression from them" this season already as they adapt more to "the ideas" of Brown and his staff.

The former Rangers youth midfielder is seven years Brown's junior, but his two years as a team boss have packed in promotion from League 1 and a fourth-placed finish in their first season back in the second tier.

McCabe's side have also started this season in fine fettle, opening the Championship season with a 1-0 win at home to last season's runners-up, Raith Rovers.

Like Ayr, they have won four out of five of their outings this season, the only defeat coming away to top-tier opposition - in the visitors' case against Aberdeen, while the Honest Men fell to Dundee United - both by a single goal.

The Diamonds, though, have had a rough time of it recently against Ayr, who have won their six meetings since losing in North Lanarkshire in December 2017, and have not won at Somerset Park in five visits since a 3-0 success in April the previous year.

Striker Ben Wilson might be the man to change that, with the summer arrival from Cliftonville itching for his first league goal after hitting six in four League Cup group outings.

Ayr, though, have their own form men, with Anton Dowds scoring three times since the forward's loan from Partick Thistle was made permanent, the same number as on-loan Ross County midfielder Jay Henderson.

At the same time as the TV spotlight falls on Somerset Park, Livingston will be looking to quietly build a head of steam of their own at the City Stadium as they seek a quick return to the Premiership.

Many pundits are discounting David Martindale's side given a smaller fan base compared to some rivals - and the shock defeat at home to fourth-tier Spartans that put paid to League Cup progress cemented those feelings.

However, their fairly routine 2-0 dismissal of Dunfermline Athletic last weekend suggests otherwise as they made it four wins out of five this season.

Gone for Queen's Park this season are the bold predictions of promotion to the Premiership from previous regimes and Callum Davidson's side will simply look to put behind them an opening weekend defeat by promoted Falkirk and secure a third straight home win in the first meeting of the sides since they met in the third tier in 2017.

Raith Rovers face their first game under caretaker team Colin Cameron and John Potter since the sacking of Ian Murray, which shocked many observers because it came so soon after they narrowly lost the Premiership play-off final to Ross County.

Partick Thistle visit Kirkcaldy for the first time since they lost the semi-final on penalties despite winning 2-1 on the night to draw level on aggregate and end a run of five meetings between them last season without a win.

And there's a kind of symmetry also in their current records, with both being without a win in three outings barring a penalty shoot-out bonus point - Thistle against Motherwell and Rovers against Hamilton - after League Cup group-stage draws.

Like Rovers, alarm bells are ringing for Fife rivals Dunfermline, who will welcome local rivals Falkirk - and probably the largest crowd of the weekend - looking to end a run of four straight defeats and seemingly with a lack of money to bolster the squad.

When they last met two seasons ago, Falkirk lost twice and the other two games were drawn as the Pars secured the title, but it is the team who followed them as League 1 champions who arrive co*ck a hoop after three wins in a row and having qualified top of their League Cup group.

Meanwhile, Greenock Morton will look to build on their 0-0 draw away to Thistle after an indifferent League Cup campaign as they entertain Hamilton.

Accies' start to the season has been blighted by an issue over the payment of wages, only one win in four League Cup group games and that opening-day loss at home to Ayr as they head to a venue where they lost by an aggregate of 7-0 on their past two visits two seasons ago.

Scottish Championship form duo in BBC TV spotlight (2024)

FAQs

How many go up from Scottish Championship? ›

The champions are directly promoted to the Scottish Premiership, swapping places with the bottom club of the Premiership. The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th then enter the two-legged Premiership play-off. The 3rd-placed club plays the 4th-placed club, with the winner then playing the 2nd-placed club.

Is the Scottish Championship professional? ›

The Scottish Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Ladbrokes Championship, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland.

How many league games are there in the Scottish Championship? ›

There are 12 teams in this division, with each team playing 38 matches per season. Sixteen clubs have played in the Scottish Premiership since its creation in the 2013–14 season.

How does Scottish Championship Group work? ›

They are called the Championship Group and the Relegation Group, each with six teams. Each team within a section will then play the other teams in their section once, for a total of 5 additional games. This brings the total number of games in a season to 38.

How much do teams get for winning the Scottish Cup? ›

Clubs playing in the 2024/25 Premier Sports Cup will share record-breaking prize money... Over £3.5 million in prize and TV money will be paid out to clubs for the 2024/25 Premier Sports Cup – an increase of 14% on this year's competition. Next season's Premier Sports Cup winners will receive £400,000.

How much do you get for winning the Scottish Championship? ›

Next season's cup winners will receive £400,000, while each participating club is guaranteed to receive at least £30,000. That is an increase of 25% from this season and compares to £7,000 when the SPFL came into being in 2012-13.

What do the Scottish call soccer? ›

Association football (Scots: fitbaa, Scottish Gaelic: ball-coise) is one of the national sports of Scotland and the most popular sport in the country.

Has there ever been a Scottish heavyweight champion? ›

Nick Campbell is a Scottish boxer and current Scottish Heavyweight Champion. He is also a former Scotland Club XV international rugby union player.

Has anyone else won the Scottish Premier League? ›

No club other than Celtic and Rangers have won the Scottish league title since Aberdeen in 1985.

How many times have Celtic won the Scottish League? ›

Celtic are one of only five clubs in the world to have won over 100 trophies. The club has won the Scottish league championship 54 times, most recently in 2023–24, the Scottish Cup 42 times and the Scottish League Cup 21 times.

Who sponsors the Scottish Championship? ›

The Scottish Professional Football League has announced what it has hailed as a "record-breaking" five-year title sponsorship deal with William Hill. The betting company takes over from car showroom company Cinch, which had been the league sponsor of the Premiership, Championship and Leagues 1 and 2 for three years.

Who got promoted from the Scottish Championship? ›

Scottish Championship

Dundee United were promoted to the Scottish Premiership as champions on 26 April after a 0-0 draw at Airdrieonians. They will be the only promoted club after Raith Rovers lost to 11th-placed Premiership side Ross County in the play-off final.

Do Scottish League winners get into Europe? ›

The Scottish Premiership winners will not automatically qualify for the 2025-26 Champions League group stage after Scotland dropped out of the Uefa coefficient rankings top 10. The Czech Republic leapfrogged Scotland in the standings thanks to Viktoria Plzen's Europa Conference League draw with Fiorentina on Thursday.

Can Scottish teams play in the Premier League? ›

Curiously, while Scottish and Irish clubs cannot compete in the English league, three clubs from self-governing island territories do - even though they do not belong to the UK. They include two clubs from the Channel Islands.

Can Scottish teams make Champions League? ›

As it stands, Scotland will start next season in 16th spot, meaning only one Scottish club would be able to take part in the Champions League for the 2026/27 campaign. They would enter at the second qualifying round, instead of earning an automatic group-stage spot and qualifying spot.

How many teams progress from Scottish League Cup? ›

The eight group winners and three best runners-up progress into the second round, where they are joined by the five clubs participating in UEFA competitions. The tournament then adopts a single-elimination knockout format.

How many teams from the Championship get promoted? ›

Each season, the two top-finishing teams in the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League. The teams that finish the season in 3rd to 6th place enter a playoff tournament, with the winner also gaining promotion to the Premier League.

How many places do Scotland get in Champions League? ›

As it stands, Scotland will start next season in 16th spot, meaning only one Scottish club would be able to take part in the Champions League for the 2026/27 campaign. They would enter at the second qualifying round, instead of earning an automatic group-stage spot and qualifying spot.

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