# 2017–18 SPFL Development League

The 2017–18 SPFL Development League was the 20th season of the highest youth Scottish football league and the fourth season under the "Development League" format. It began on 21 August 2017, and concluded on 7 May 2018.

## Changes

For the 2017–18 season of the Development League, three teams chose to withdraw from the competition. Dunfermline Athletic announced in May 2017 that due to the proposals made under 'Project Brave', which would see the implementation of a reserve league from the 2018–19 to replace the Development League, the club would not participate in the final year of the competition. Rangers also announced their intention to withdraw from the competition, instead receiving permission from the SPFL to take part in a programme of fixtures against a number of European elite youth teams, for example, Manchester United, Benfica and Bayern Munich. Inverness Caledonian Thistle also withdrew from the 2017–18 competition.
Eligible players were those born in 1998 or later, but five players of any age were permitted in the matchday squad of 18.

## Summary
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Hibernian (C) | 26 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 72 | 35 | +37 | 59 |
| 2 | Dundee | 26 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 52 | 33 | +19 | 53 |
| 3 | Heart of Midlothian | 26 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 62 | 43 | +19 | 52 |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 26 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 49 | 30 | +19 | 47 |
| 5 | Motherwell | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 45 |
| 6 | Celtic | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 49 | 27 | +22 | 44 |
| 7 | Ross County | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 40 |
| 8 | Hamilton Academical | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 46 | 38 | +8 | 39 |
| 9 | Dundee United | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 37 | 61 | −24 | 28 |
| 10 | St Mirren | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 26 |
| 11 | St Johnstone | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 41 | 57 | −16 | 26 |
| 12 | Partick Thistle | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 36 | 65 | −29 | 22 |
| 13 | Kilmarnock | 26 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 29 | 53 | −24 | 19 |
| 14 | Falkirk | 26 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 26 | 56 | −30 | 19 |

### Matches

Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
| Home \ Away | ABE | CEL | DND | DUN | FAL | HAM | HOM | HIB | KIL | MOT | PAR | ROS | STJ | STM |
| Aberdeen | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 6–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 |
| Celtic | 1–4 | — | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| Dundee | 4–2 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–5 | 3–1 |
| Dundee United | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–2 | — | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 2–1 | 0–6 | 1–2 | 5–3 |
| Falkirk | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–2 | — | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
| Hamilton Academical | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–1 |
| Heart of Midlothian | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–3 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 |
| Hibernian | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 6–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–4 | — | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 5–0 | 4–0 |
| Kilmarnock | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 6–1 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 1–6 | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 6–3 | 0–2 |
| Motherwell | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–5 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 |
| Partick Thistle | 2–1 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–6 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–3 | — | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 |
| Ross County | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 2–3 | — | 4–1 | 4–2 |
| St Johnstone | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 2–3 | — | 3–3 |
| St Mirren | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 3–1 | — |

## Top scorers

    As of matches played on 7 May 2018
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Oli Shaw | Hibernian | 19 |
| 2 | Jack Aitchison | Celtic | 13 |
| 2 | Neil McLaughlin | Partick Thistle | 13 |
| 4 | Ross Cunningham | Hamilton Academical | 12 |
| 4 | Innes Cameron | Kilmarnock | 12 |
Source: