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 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.

2018 Scottish Challenge Cup final
Event2017–18 Scottish Challenge Cup
Date24 March 2018
VenueMcDiarmid Park, Perth
RefereeAndrew Dallas
Attendance4,602
2017
2019

Route to the final

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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

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Round Opposition Score
First round Rangers Under-20s (h) 2–1
Second round   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   The New Saints (a) 2–1

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

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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   Crusaders (h) 3–2

Match details

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

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  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.