2017 Scottish Challenge Cup final

The 2017 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as the Irn-Bru Cup final for sponsorship reasons, is a football match that took place on 25 March 2017 at Fir Park, between Dundee United and St Mirren.[1] It was the 26th 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 fourth since the Scottish Professional Football League was formed. Both teams progressed through four elimination rounds to reach the final. The match was won by Dundee United 2–1, marking their first win in the tournament since its inception and their first silverware since the 2009–10 Scottish Cup.[2][3]

2017 Scottish Challenge Cup final
Official match day programme
Event2016–17 Scottish Challenge Cup
Date25 March 2017
VenueFir Park, Motherwell
RefereeNick Walsh
Attendance8,089
WeatherSunny
2016
2018

Route to the final

edit

The competition is a knock-out tournament and was contested by 52 teams from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2016-17.[4] Those participating were the 30 clubs that played in the 2016–17 Championship, League One and League Two of the Scottish Professional Football League along with the top four teams from the 2015–16 Highland and Lowland Leagues (East Stirlingshire, who were relegated from the SPFL, took the place of the Lowland League champions Edinburgh City, who promoted in their place). The top two teams from the 2015–16 Welsh Premier League and 2015–16 NIFL Premiership and the U20s squads of the teams competing in the 2016–17 Premiership were also invited to compete.[4] For the first three rounds, the draw was divided into two geographical regions – north and south. These draws were seeded to avoid U20s teams and Highland and Lowland League sides from being drawn against each other.[5] From round four onwards, the draw was regionalised to keep Welsh and Northern Irish teams apart.

As both clubs play in the Championship, they received a bye to the third round.

Dundee United

edit
Round Opposition Score
Third round Peterhead (h) 3–2 (a.e.t.)
Fourth round Stranraer (a) 1–0
Quarter-final Dunfermline Athletic (a) 1–0
Semi-final Queen of the South (a) 3–2

St Mirren

edit
Round Opposition Score
Third round Albion Rovers (a) 4–3 (a.e.t.)
Fourth round Hibernian (a) 2–1
Quarter-final Ayr United (h) 2–1
Semi-final   The New Saints (h) 4–1

Match details

edit
Dundee United2–1St Mirren
Andreu   37'
Mikkelsen   75'
SPFL report Loy   38'
Attendance: 8,089
Referee: Nick Walsh
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dundee United
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
St Mirren
Dundee United:
GK 1   Cammy Bell (c)
RB 8   Stewart Murdoch
CB 14   William Edjenguélé
CB 4   Mark Durnan
LB 24   Jamie Robson
CM 16   Charlie Telfer
CM 14   Willo Flood  
RW 22   Ali Coote   89'
AM 19   Tony Andreu
LW 23   Nick van der Velden   58'
CF 9   Simon Murray     80'
Substitutes:
GK 21   Luis Zwick
DF 3   Paul Dixon
DF 5   Coll Donaldson   89'
DF 6   Lewis Toshney
DF 20   Frank van der Struijk
MF 11   Alex Nicholls   80'
FW 18   Thomas Mikkelsen   58'
Manager:
  Ray McKinnon
St Mirren:
GK 21   Billy O'Brien
RB 3   Gary Irvine
CB 6   Gary MacKenzie
CB 15   Jack Baird
LB 44   Adam Eckersley
RM 42   Kyle Magennis   84'
CM 10   Stevie Mallan  
CM 22   Stephen McGinn (c)
LM 17   Lewis Morgan
CF 16   Rory Loy  
CF 9   John Sutton
Substitutes:
GK 1   Jamie Langfield
DF 2   Stelios Demetriou
DF 4   Andy Webster
MF 23   Pål Fjelde
MF 35   Darren Whyte
MF 36   Connor O'Keefe   84'
FW 50   Ryan Watters
Manager:
  Jack Ross

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

edit
  1. ^ "Fir Park to host IRN-BRU Cup Final". www.spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Dundee United 2 St. Mirren 1". BBC Sport. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Dundee United 2 St Mirren 1 as Thomas Mikkelsen is the hero as Terrors win Irn-Bru Cup - 3 things we learned". Daily Record. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b "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.
  5. ^ "IRN-BRU Cup - First Round Draw". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2017.