2018 Scottish Challenge Cup final

2018 Scottish Challenge Cup final
Event2017–18 Scottish Challenge Cup
Dumbarton Inverness Caledonian
Thistle
0 1
Date24 March 2018
VenueMcDiarmid Park, Perth
RefereeAndrew Dallas
Attendance4,602
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The 2018 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as the IRN-BRU Cup final for sponsorship reasons, was a football match that took place on 24 March 2018 at McDiarmid Park, between Dumbarton and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.[1] It was the 27th final of the Scottish Challenge Cup since it was first organised in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of the now defunct Scottish Football League, and the fifth since the SPFL was formed. The match was won by Inverness CT 1–0 with a stoppage time winner, marking their second win in the tournament since its inception and their first silverware since the 2014–15 Scottish Cup.

Route to the final

See also: 2017–18 Scottish Challenge Cup

The competition is a knock-out tournament and was contested by 56 teams from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2017–18.[2] Two teams from the Republic of Ireland were added to the competition in 2017–18,[2] following the addition of teams from Wales and Northern Ireland in 2016–17.[3]

Those participating were the 30 clubs that played in the 2017–18 Championship, League One and League Two of the Scottish Professional Football League along with the top four teams from the 2016–17 Highland and Lowland Leagues. The top two teams from the 2016–17 Welsh Premier League and 2016–17 NIFL Premiership and the U20s squads of the teams competing in the 2016–17 Premiership were also invited to compete.[2] Bray Wanderers and Sligo Rovers, as the League of Ireland's highest-ranked non-European participants in 2016, were also invited.[2]

Dumbarton

Round Opposition Score
First round Rangers Under-20s (h) 2–1
Second round Wales Connah's Quay Nomads (h) 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Third round Stranraer (h) 2–1
Quarter-final Raith Rovers (h) 2–0
Semi-final Wales The New Saints (a) 2–1

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Inverness received a bye to the second round, as the team that had finished 12th in the 2016–17 Scottish Premiership.

Round Opposition Score
Second round Aberdeen Under-20s (a) 4–2
Third round Peterhead (h) 3–0
Quarter-final Falkirk (h) 1–0
Semi-final Northern Ireland Crusaders (h) 3–2

Match details

Final
Dumbarton0–1Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Report Tremarco 90+3'
Attendance: 4,602
Referee: Andrew Dallas
Dumbarton
Inverness CT
Dumbarton:
GK 1 Scotland Scott Gallacher
RB 2 Scotland David Smith
CB 4 Scotland Andy Dowie (c) Yellow card
CB 55 Scotland Craig Barr
LB 3 Scotland Christopher McLaughlin Yellow card
CM 6 Scotland Stuart Carswell
CM 14 Scotland Kyle Hutton
AM 21 Scotland Danny Handling
FW 10 Scotland Tom Walsh downward-facing red arrow 81'
FW 7 Scotland Calum Gallagher Yellow card downward-facing red arrow 74'
FW 23 Scotland Iain Russell downward-facing red arrow 68'
Substitutes:
GK 19 Scotland Jamie Ewings
MF 5 Scotland Grant Gallagher
MF 8 Scotland David Wilson
FW 9 Scotland Mark Stewart upward-facing green arrow 74'
DF 15 Scotland Dougie Hill
MF 20 Cyprus Dimitris Froxylias upward-facing green arrow 68'
MF 31 Scotland Liam Burt upward-facing green arrow 81'
Manager:
Scotland Stephen Aitken
Inverness Caledonian Thistle:
GK 28 Scotland Mark Ridgers
RB 17 Netherlands Collin Seedorf
CB 5 England Gary Warren (c)
CB 23 Scotland Coll Donaldson Yellow card
LB 3 England Carl Tremarco Yellow card
RM 7 Scotland Liam Polworth
CM 11 Scotland Iain Vigurs
LM 4 Scotland Joe Chalmers
FW 14 England George Oakley
FW 20 England Connor Bell downward-facing red arrow 78'
FW 15 Republic of Ireland Jake Mulraney downward-facing red arrow 70'
Substitutes:
GK 1 Scotland Ryan Esson
MF 10 Republic of Ireland Aaron Doran upward-facing green arrow 70'
MF 16 England Riccardo Calder
MF 18 Republic of Ireland Zak Elbouzedi
MF 24 Canada Charlie Trafford
MF 27 Scotland Daniel MacKay upward-facing green arrow 78'
FW 32 Scotland Jack Brown
Manager:
Scotland John Robertson

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Seven named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

References

  1. ^ "McDiarmid Park to host IRN-BRU final". www.spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "IRN-BRU Cup expanded for 2017/18". www.spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Northern Irish and Welsh sides to join top flight U20s in Challenge Cup". www.stv.tv/sport. STV. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2017.


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