2018–19 Scottish Championship
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2018–19 Scottish Championship (known as the Ladbrokes Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 25th season in the current format of 10 teams in the second tier of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 15 June 2018, with the league starting on 4 August 2018.[4]
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 August 2018 – 4 May 2019 |
| Champions | Ross County |
| Promoted | Ross County |
| Relegated | Falkirk |
| Matches | 180 |
| Goals | 439 (2.44 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Lawrence Shankland (24 goals)[1][2] |
| Biggest home win | Queen of the South 5–0 Ayr United[3] (1 September 2018) Ross County 5–0 Greenock Morton[3] (27 October 2018) |
| Biggest away win | Dundee United 0–5 Ayr United[3] (30 November 2018)[3] |
| Highest scoring | 9 matches:[3] 6 goals |
| Longest winning run | 6 matches:[3] Ross County |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches:[3] Inverness Caledonian Thistle |
| Longest winless run | 9 matches:[3] Partick Thistle |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches:[3] Partick Thistle Queen of the South |
| Highest attendance | 6,532[3] Dundee United 2–3 Dunfermline Athletic (4 August 2018) |
| Lowest attendance | 592[3] Alloa Athletic 0–1 Ross County (1 December 2018) |
| Total attendance | 561,688[3] |
| Average attendance | 3,120[3] ( 239) |
← 2017–18 2019–20 →
All statistics correct as of 4 May 2019. | |
Ten teams contested the league: Alloa Athletic, Ayr United, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Falkirk, Greenock Morton, Inverness CT, Partick Thistle, Queen of the South and Ross County.
Ross County won the league following a 4–0 win over Queen of the South on 26 April 2019 to return to the Premiership after only one season's absence.[5]
Teams
The following teams have changed division since the 2017–18 season:
To Championship
Ayr United secured promotion to the Championship on 28 April 2018 after a 2–0 victory over Albion Rovers.[6] Ross County were relegated to the Championship on 12 May 2018 after a 1–1 draw with St Johnstone.[7] Alloa Athletic won promotion following a 2–1 aggregate victory in the play-off final.[8] Partick Thistle were also relegated to the Championship following a 3–1 aggregate defeat to Livingston in the play-off final.[9]
From Championship
Brechin City were relegated to League One on 24 March 2018 after a 2–0 defeat to Greenock Morton.[10] St Mirren secured promotion to the Premiership on 14 April 2018 after a goalless draw with Livingston,[11] who were also promoted after winning the Premiership play-off final.[9] Dumbarton were relegated after losing the Championship play-off final.[8]
Stadia and locations
| Alloa Athletic | Ayr United | Dundee United | Dunfermline Athletic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation Park | Somerset Park | Tannadice Park | East End Park |
| Capacity: 3,100[12] | Capacity: 10,185[13] | Capacity: 14,223[14] | Capacity: 11,480[15] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Falkirk | Greenock Morton | ||
| Falkirk Stadium | Cappielow Park | ||
| Capacity: 7,937[16] | Capacity: 11,589[17] | ||
 |
 | ||
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Partick Thistle | Queen of the South | Ross County |
| Caledonian Stadium | Firhill Stadium | Palmerston Park | Victoria Park |
| Capacity: 7,750[18] | Capacity: 10,102[19] | Capacity: 8,690[20] | Capacity: 6,541[21] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alloa Athletic |  Jim Goodwin |
 Andy Graham[22] |
Pendle | The Energy Check[23] |
| Ayr United | Ian McCall |
Ross Docherty[24] |
Adidas[25] | Bitcoin BCH[26] |
| Dundee United | Robbie Neilson |
Fraser Fyvie[27] |
Nike[28] | Utilita[28] |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Stevie Crawford |
Lee Ashcroft[29] |
Joma[30] | SRJ Windows[30] |
| Falkirk | Ray McKinnon |
Jordan McGhee |
Puma[31] | Central Demolition[31] |
| Greenock Morton | David Hopkin |
Jim McAlister[32] |
Vision Outsourcing[33] | Millions[33] |
| Inverness CT | John Robertson |
 Carl Tremarco[34] |
Erreà[35] | McEwan Fraser Legal[35] |
| Partick Thistle | Gary Caldwell |
Stuart Bannigan |
Joma[36] | Just Employment Law[37] |
| Queen of the South | Allan Johnston |
Stephen Dobbie[38] |
Macron[39] | Border Finance Ltd |
| Ross County | Steven Ferguson and Stuart Kettlewell |
Marcus Fraser[40] |
Macron[41] | McEwan Fraser Legal[41] |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenock Morton | Jim Duffy |
Mutual consent | 29 April 2018[42] | Pre-season | Ray McKinnon |
30 May 2018[43] |
| Falkirk | Paul Hartley |
Mutual consent | 27 August 2018[44] | 10th | Ray McKinnon |
31 August 2018[45] |
| Greenock Morton | Ray McKinnon |
Signed by Falkirk | 31 August 2018[45] | 2nd |  Jonatan Johansson |
6 September 2018[46] |
| Dundee United |  Csaba László |
Mutual consent | 30 September 2018[47] | 4th | Robbie Neilson |
8 October 2018[48] |
| Partick Thistle | Alan Archibald |
Sacked | 6 October 2018[49] | 8th | Gary Caldwell |
15 October 2018[50] |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Allan Johnston |
Resigned | 9 January 2019[51] | 7th | Stevie Crawford |
10 January 2019 |
| Greenock Morton | Jonatan Johansson |
Resigned | 4 May 2019[52] | 5th | David Hopkin |
15 May 2019 |
| Queen of the South | Gary Naysmith |
Sacked | 4 May 2019[53] | 9th | Allan Johnston |
5 May 2019 |
League summary
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross County (C, P) | 36 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 63 | 34 | +29 | 71 | Promotion to the Premiership |
| 2 | Dundee United | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 65 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off semi-final |
| 3 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 36 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 56 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-final |
| 4 | Ayr United | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 38 | +12 | 54 | |
| 5 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 36 | 45 | −9 | 46 | |
| 6 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 43 | |
| 7 | Dunfermline Athletic | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 33 | 40 | −7 | 41 | |
| 8 | Alloa Athletic | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 39 | 53 | −14 | 39 | |
| 9 | Queen of the South (O) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 38 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 10 | Falkirk (R) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 38 | Relegation to League One |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Points in head-to-head matches; 5) Goal difference in hth matches; 6). Goals scored in hth matches; 7). Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[54]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
| Team \ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross County | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dundee United | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Ayr United | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Greenock Morton | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Partick Thistle | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Alloa Athletic | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Queen of the South | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Falkirk | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Source: BBC Sport
Updated: 4 May 2019
Results
Teams play each other four times, twice in the first half of the season (home and away) and twice in the second half of the season (home and away), making a total of 180 games, with each team playing 36.
First half of season (Matches 1-18)
Second half of season (Matches 19-36)
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
- As of 4 May 2019
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence Shankland |
Ayr United | 24 |
| 2 | Stephen Dobbie |
Queen of the South | 21 |
| 3 |  Billy Mckay |
Ross County | 17 |
| 4 |  Pavol Šafranko |
Dundee United | 12 |
| Zak Rudden |
Falkirk | ||
| 6 | Alan Trouten |
Alloa Athletic | 10 |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Dobbie |
Queen of the South | Falkirk | 0–3 (A) | 25 August 2018 | [55] |
| Stephen Dobbie4 |
Queen of the South | Ayr United | 5–0 (H) | 1 September 2018 | [56] |
| Billy Mckay |
Ross County | Dundee United | 1–5 (A) | 29 September 2018 | [57] |
| Stephen Dobbie |
Queen of the South | Alloa Athletic | 3–3 (H) | 6 October 2018 | [58] |
| Billy Mckay |
Ross County | Greenock Morton | 5–0 (H) | 27 October 2018 | [59] |
| Lawrence Shankland4 |
Ayr United | Dundee United | 0–5 (A) | 30 November 2018 | [60] |
| Billy Mckay |
Ross County | Ayr United | 3–2 (H) | 26 February 2019 | [61] |
| Brian Graham |
Ross County | Ayr United | 1–3 (A) | 19 April 2019 | [62] |
Note
4 Player scored four goals; (H) = Home, (A) = Away
Attendances
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alloa Athletic | 21,215 | 2,116 | 592 | 1,178 | +21.2% |
| 2 | Ayr United | 38,832 | 3,249 | 1,559 | 2,157 | +35.8% |
| 3 | Dundee United | 91,415 | 6,532 | 4,201 | 5,078 | −7.8% |
| 4 | Dunfermline Athletic | 90,153 | 6,349 | 4,347 | 5,008 | −4.5% |
| 5 | Falkirk | 85,371 | 6,173 | 3,767 | 4,742 | +1.4% |
| 6 | Greenock Morton | 34,969 | 2,757 | 1,315 | 1,942 | −2.2% |
| 7 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 45,864 | 4,354 | 1,994 | 2,548 | +6.4% |
| 8 | Partick Thistle | 54,771 | 4,438 | 1,990 | 3,042 | −31.5% |
| 9 | Queen of the South | 29,799 | 3,916 | 727 | 1,655 | +13.6% |
| 10 | Ross County | 69,299 | 6,402 | 3,065 | 3,849 | −15.2% |
| League total | 561,688 | 6,532 | 592 | 3,120 | +8.3% |
Awards
Monthly awards
Championship play-offs
The second bottom team (Queen of the South) entered into a 4-team playoff with the 2nd-4th placed teams in 2018–19 Scottish League One (Forfar Athletic, Raith Rovers and Montrose). Queen of the South secured their place in the Championship after defeating Raith 3–1 on aggregate in the final.
Semi-final
First leg
| 7 May 2019 | Montrose | 2–1 | Queen of the South | Montrose |
| 19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Links Park Attendance: 1,124 Referee: John McKendrick |
| 7 May 2019 | Raith Rovers | 2–1 | Forfar Athletic | Kirkcaldy |
| 19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: Stark's Park Attendance: 2,007 Referee: Colin Steven |
Second leg
| 11 May 2019 | Queen of the South | 5–0 (6–2 agg.) | Montrose | Dumfries |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Palmerston Park Attendance: 2,001 Referee: Greg Aitken |
| 11 May 2019 | Forfar Athletic | 1–1 (2–3 agg.) | Raith Rovers | Forfar |
| 15:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Station Park Attendance: 2,512 Referee: Euan Anderson |
Final
First leg
| 15 May 2019 | Raith Rovers | 1–3 | Queen of the South | Kirkcaldy |
| 19:45 | McKay  86' |
Report | Stadium: Stark's Park Attendance: 2,471 Referee: David Munro |
Second leg
| 18 May 2019 | Queen of the South | 0–0 (3–1 agg.) | Raith Rovers | Dumfries |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Palmerston Park Attendance: 2,420 Referee: Nick Walsh |