2015–16 Scottish Championship
The 2015–16 Scottish Championship (referred to as the Ladbrokes Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the 21st season in the current format of 10 teams in the second tier of Scottish football.
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Rangers |
| Promoted | Rangers |
| Relegated | Alloa Athletic Livingston |
| Europa League | Hibernian |
| Matches played | 180 |
| Goals scored | 483 (2.68 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Martyn Waghorn (20 goals)[1] |
| Biggest home win | Queen of the South 6–0 Dumbarton[2] (19 March 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Dumbarton 0–6 Rangers[2] (2 January 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Raith Rovers 4–3 St Mirren[2] (5 March 2016) Rangers 4–3 Queen of the South[2] (26 March 2016) |
| Longest winning run | 11 matches:[2] Rangers |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches:[2] Hibernian |
| Longest winless run | 12 matches:[2] Alloa Athletic |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches:[2] Alloa Athletic |
| Highest attendance | 50,349[2] Rangers 1–1 Alloa Athletic (23 April 2016) |
| Lowest attendance | 468[2] Dumbarton 3–1 Alloa Athletic (8 March 2016) |
| Total attendance | 1,331,484[2] |
| Average attendance | 7,397[2] |
← 2014–15 2016–17 →
All statistics correct as of 7 May 2016. | |
Rangers won the league title and promotion after a 1–0 win against Dumbarton on 5 April 2016,[3] while Alloa Athletic were relegated after a 0–0 draw against Livingston on 2 April 2016.[4]
Teams
The following teams have changed division since the 2014–15 season.
To ChampionshipPromoted from Scottish League One Relegated from Scottish Premiership |
From ChampionshipPromoted to Scottish Premiership Relegated to Scottish League One
|
Stadia and locations
| Alloa Athletic | Dumbarton | Falkirk | Greenock Morton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation Park | Dumbarton Football Stadium | Falkirk Stadium | Cappielow Park |
| Capacity: 3,100[5] | Capacity: 2,020[6] | Capacity: 8,750[7] | Capacity: 11,589[8] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Hibernian | Livingston | ||
| Easter Road | Almondvale Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 20,421[9] | Capacity: 9,865[10] | ||
 |
 | ||
| Queen of the South | Raith Rovers | Rangers | St Mirren |
| Palmerston Park | Stark's Park | Ibrox Stadium | St Mirren Park |
| Capacity: 8,690[11] | Capacity: 8,867[12] | Capacity: 50,817[13] | Capacity: 8,023[14] |
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.jpg.webp) |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alloa Athletic |  Jack Ross |
Pendle | Marshall Construction |
| Dumbarton | Stephen Aitken |
Joma | Baxter Ramsay |
| Falkirk | Peter Houston |
Puma | Central Demolition |
| Greenock Morton | Jim Duffy |
Nike | Millions Sweets |
| Hibernian |  Alan Stubbs |
Nike | Marathonbet |
| Livingston | David Hopkin |
Joma | Energy Assets |
| Queen of the South | Gavin Skelton (Caretaker) |
Joma | Palmerston Cafe |
| Raith Rovers | Ray McKinnon |
Puma | valmcdermid.com (Home shirt) D&G Autocare (Away shirt) |
| Rangers | Mark Warburton |
Puma | 32Red |
| St Mirren | Alex Rae |
Carbrini | JD Sports |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbarton | Ian Murray |
Signed by St Mirren | 22 May 2015[15] | Pre-season | Stevie Aitken |
27 May 2015[16] |
| St Mirren | Gary Teale |
Sacked | 22 May 2015[15] | Ian Murray |
22 May 2015[15] | |
| Raith Rovers | Laurie Ellis (interim) |
End of interim | 23 May 2015[17] | Ray McKinnon |
23 May 2015[17] | |
| Rangers | Stuart McCall (interim) |
End of interim | 15 June 2015[18] | Mark Warburton |
15 June 2015[18] | |
| Alloa Athletic | Danny Lennon |
Resigned | 7 December 2015[19] | 10th | Jack Ross |
15 December 2015[20] |
| St Mirren | Ian Murray |
Resigned | 12 December 2015[21] | 8th | Alex Rae |
18 December 2015[22] |
| Livingston | Mark Burchill |
Sacked | 21 December 2015[23] | 9th | David Hopkina |
23 December 2015[24][25] |
| Queen of the South | James Fowler |
Sacked | 19 April 2016[26] | 7th | Gavin Skelton (interim) |
19 April 2016[26] |
a.^ Initially interim, made permanent 5 January 2016
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers (C, P) | 36 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 88 | 34 | +54 | 81 | Promotion to the Premiership |
| 2 | Falkirk | 36 | 19 | 13 | 4 | 61 | 34 | +27 | 70 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off semi-finals |
| 3 | Hibernian | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 59 | 34 | +25 | 70 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-finals |
| 4 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 62 | |
| 5 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 39 | 42 | −3 | 43 | |
| 6 | St Mirren | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 42 | |
| 7 | Queen of the South | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 42 | |
| 8 | Dumbarton | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 35 | 66 | −31 | 37 | |
| 9 | Livingston (R) | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 37 | 51 | −14 | 31 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 10 | Alloa Athletic (R) | 36 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 22 | 67 | −45 | 21 | Relegation to League One |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
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 36 games.
First half of season |
Second half of season
|
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martyn Waghorn |
Rangers | 20 |
| 2 | Jason Cummings |
Hibernian | 18 |
| 3 | John Baird |
Falkirk | 17 |
| 4 | Denny Johnstone |
Greenock Morton | 14 |
| Kenny Miller |
Rangers | ||
| 6 | Derek Lyle |
Queen of the South | 13 |
| 7 | Liam Buchanan |
Livingston | 11 |
| Iain Russell |
Queen of the South | ||
| Stevie Mallan |
St Mirren |
Player
Yellow cards
|
Red cards
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club
Yellow cards
|
Red cards
|
Attendances
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alloa Athletic | 20,182 | 3,100 | 492 | 1,121 | −21.2% |
| 2 | Dumbarton | 18,739 | 1,978 | 468 | 1,041 | −2.9% |
| 3 | Falkirk | 84,052 | 7,804 | 3,550 | 4,669 | −1.2% |
| 4 | Greenock Morton | 49,153 | 7,392 | 1,175 | 2,730 | +59.1% |
| 5 | Hibernian | 168,105 | 14,412 | 6,686 | 9,339 | −8.1% |
| 6 | Livingston | 31,766 | 6,505 | 787 | 1,764 | −27.3% |
| 7 | Queen of the South | 38,072 | 5,858 | 1,047 | 2,115 | −23.4% |
| 8 | Raith Rovers | 41,698 | 6,943 | 1,064 | 2,316 | −10.9% |
| 9 | Rangers | 815,841 | 50,349 | 37,182 | 45,324 | +38.2% |
| 10 | St Mirren | 63,876 | 5,933 | 2,321 | 3,548 | −8.3% |
| League total | 1,331,484 | 50,349 | 468 | 7,397 | −2.6% |
Championship play-offs
Livingston, the second bottom team, entered into a 4-team playoff with the 2nd-4th placed teams in 2015–16 Scottish League One; Ayr United, Peterhead, and Stranraer.
First leg
| 3 May 2016[31] | Peterhead | 1–4 | Ayr United | Balmoor, Peterhead |
| 20:00 | McIntosh  35' |
BBC Report | Donald 18' Preston 41', 59'Crawford 74' |
Attendance: 807 Referee: Stephen Finnie |
| 4 May 2016[31] | Stranraer | 5–2 | Livingston | Stair Park, Stranraer |
| 19:45 | McGuigan 14', 70' Stirling 17'Gibson 40', 81' |
BBC Report | White 10' Buchanan 68' |
Attendance: 589 Referee: John Beaton |
Second leg
| 7 May 2016[31] | Ayr United | 2–1 (6–2 agg.) | Peterhead | Somerset Park, Ayr |
| 15:00 | Crawford 26' Devlin 57' |
BBC Report | Donald 31' (o.g.) |
Attendance: 1,848 Referee: Crawford Allan |
| 7 May 2016[31] | Livingston | 4–3 (a.e.t.) (6–8 agg.) | Stranraer | Almondvale Stadium, Livingston |
| 15:00 | Buchanan 18' White 45+2'Mullen 89'Halkett 90+4' |
BBC Report | Cairney 62' Dick 109'Longworth 120' |
Attendance: 1,018 Referee: Craig Thomson |
Final
The winners of the semi-finals, Ayr United and Stranraer, competed against one another over two legs, with the winner, Ayr, replacing Livingston and being promoted to the 2016–17 Scottish Championship.
First leg
| 11 May 2016[32] | Stranraer | 1–1 | Ayr United | Stair Park, Stranraer |
| 19:45 | McGuigan 54' |
BBC Report | Docherty 90+5' |
Attendance: 1,652 Referee: Bobby Madden |
References
- "2015–16 Scottish Championship scorers". ESPN. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "2015–16 Scottish Championship performance". ESPN. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Rangers 1-0 Dumbarton". BBC Sport. 5 April 2016.
- "Livingston 0-0 Alloa Athletic". BBC Sport. 2 April 2016.
- "Alloa Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Dumbarton Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Falkirk Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Greenock Morton Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Hibernian Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Livingston Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Queen of the South Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Raith Rovers Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "Rangers Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "St Mirren Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- "St Mirren: Ian Murray leaves Dumbarton to be Buddies boss". BBC Sport. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Dumbarton: Stranraer's Stephen Aitken makes managerial switch". BBC Sport. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Raith Rovers: Brechin's Ray McKinnon in Kirkcaldy switch". BBC Sport. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Rangers: Mark Warburton - 'no short-term fixes' for new manager". BBC Sport. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Danny Lennon resigns as Alloa Athletic manager". BBC Sport. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Alloa Athletic name Jack Ross as their new manager". BBC Sport. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "St Mirren: Ian Murray resigns after six months as manager". BBC Sport. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "St Mirren: Alex Rae succeeds Ian Murray as manager". BBC Sport. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Livingston sack manager Mark Burchill". BBC Sport. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Interim role for Hopkin at Livingston". SPFL. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "David Hopkin appointed Livingston head coach until end of season". BBC Sport. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Queen of the South part with manager James Fowler". BBC Sport. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "Scottish Championship Top Scorers". BBC. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- "2015–16 Scottish Championship statistics – Player Discipline". ESPN. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- "2015–16 Scottish League One statistics – Club Discipline". ESPN. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- "2014–15 Scottish Championship performance". ESPN. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- "Play-off fixtures for next week". SPFL.
- "Championship play-off final on BBC ALBA". spfl.co.uk. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
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