2018 Scottish Challenge Cup final

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 10 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.

2018 Scottish Challenge Cup final
Event2017–18 Scottish Challenge Cup
Date24 March 2018
VenueMcDiarmid Park, Perth
RefereeAndrew Dallas
Attendance4,602

Route to the final

The competition is a knock-out tournament and was contested by 56 teams from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 201718.[2] Two teams from the Republic of Ireland were added to the competition in 201718,[2] following the addition of teams from Wales and Northern Ireland in 201617.[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

Dumbarton0–1Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Report Tremarco 90+3'
Attendance: 4,602
Referee: Andrew Dallas
Dumbarton
Inverness CT
Dumbarton:
GK1Scotland Scott Gallacher
RB2Scotland David Smith
CB4Scotland Andy Dowie (c) Yellow card
CB55Scotland Craig Barr
LB3Scotland Christopher McLaughlin Yellow card
CM6Scotland Stuart Carswell
CM14Scotland Kyle Hutton
AM21Scotland Danny Handling
FW10Scotland Tom Walsh downward-facing red arrow 81'
FW7Scotland Calum Gallagher Yellow card downward-facing red arrow 74'
FW23Scotland Iain Russell downward-facing red arrow 68'
Substitutes:
GK19Scotland Jamie Ewings
MF5Scotland Grant Gallagher
MF8Scotland David Wilson
FW9Scotland Mark Stewart upward-facing green arrow 74'
DF15Scotland Dougie Hill
MF20Cyprus Dimitris Froxylias upward-facing green arrow 68'
MF31Scotland Liam Burt upward-facing green arrow 81'
Manager:
Scotland Stephen Aitken
Inverness Caledonian Thistle:
GK28Scotland Mark Ridgers
RB17Netherlands Collin Seedorf
CB5England Gary Warren (c)
CB23Scotland Coll Donaldson Yellow card
LB3England Carl Tremarco Yellow card
RM7Scotland Liam Polworth
CM11Scotland Iain Vigurs
LM4Scotland Joe Chalmers
FW14England George Oakley
FW20England Connor Bell downward-facing red arrow 78'
FW15Republic of Ireland Jake Mulraney downward-facing red arrow 70'
Substitutes:
GK1Scotland Ryan Esson
MF10Republic of Ireland Aaron Doran upward-facing green arrow 70'
MF16England Riccardo Calder
MF18Republic of Ireland Zak Elbouzedi
MF24Canada Charlie Trafford
MF27Scotland Daniel MacKay upward-facing green arrow 78'
FW32Scotland 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. "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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