# 1981–82 in Scottish football

The 1981–82 season was the 85th season of Scottish league football.

## Scottish Premier Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 79 | 33 | +46 | 55 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Aberdeen | 36 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 71 | 29 | +42 | 53 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 3 | Rangers | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 43 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Dundee United | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 61 | 38 | +23 | 40 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | St Mirren | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 37 | |
| 6 | Hibernian | 36 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 36 | |
| 7 | Morton | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 31 | 54 | −23 | 30 | |
| 8 | Dundee | 36 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 46 | 72 | −26 | 26 | |
| 9 | Partick Thistle (R) | 36 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 59 | −24 | 22 | Relegation to the 1982–83 Scottish First Division |
| 10 | Airdrieonians (R) | 36 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 76 | −45 | 18 | Relegation to the 1982–83 Scottish First Division |
Champions: Celtic Relegated: Partick Thistle, Airdrieonians

## Scottish League Division One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Motherwell (C, P) | 39 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 92 | 36 | +56 | 61 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Kilmarnock (P) | 39 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 60 | 29 | +31 | 51 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Heart of Midlothian | 39 | 21 | 8 | 10 | 65 | 37 | +28 | 50 | |
| 4 | Clydebank | 39 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 61 | 53 | +8 | 46 | |
| 5 | St Johnstone | 39 | 17 | 8 | 14 | 69 | 60 | +9 | 42 | |
| 6 | Ayr United | 39 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 56 | 50 | +6 | 42 | |
| 7 | Hamilton Academical | 39 | 16 | 8 | 15 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 40 | |
| 8 | Queen's Park | 39 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 36 | |
| 9 | Falkirk | 39 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 36 | |
| 10 | Dunfermline Athletic | 39 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 36 | |
| 11 | Dumbarton | 39 | 13 | 9 | 17 | 49 | 61 | −12 | 35 | |
| 12 | Raith Rovers | 39 | 11 | 7 | 21 | 31 | 59 | −28 | 29 | |
| 13 | East Stirlingshire (R) | 39 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 38 | 77 | −39 | 24 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 14 | Queen of the South (R) | 39 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 44 | 93 | −49 | 18 | Relegation to the Second Division |
Promoted: Motherwell, Kilmarnock Relegated: East Stirlingshire, Queen of the South

## Scottish League Division Two

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Clyde (C, P) | 39 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 79 | 38 | +41 | 59 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Alloa Athletic (P) | 39 | 19 | 12 | 8 | 66 | 42 | +24 | 50 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Arbroath | 39 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 62 | 50 | +12 | 50 | |
| 4 | Berwick Rangers | 39 | 20 | 8 | 11 | 66 | 38 | +28 | 48 | |
| 5 | Brechin City | 39 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 61 | 43 | +18 | 46 | |
| 6 | Forfar Athletic | 39 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 45 | |
| 7 | East Fife | 39 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 37 | |
| 8 | Stirling Albion | 39 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 35 | |
| 9 | Cowdenbeath | 39 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 51 | 57 | −6 | 35 | |
| 10 | Montrose | 39 | 12 | 8 | 19 | 49 | 74 | −25 | 32 | |
| 11 | Albion Rovers | 39 | 13 | 5 | 21 | 52 | 74 | −22 | 31 | |
| 12 | Meadowbank Thistle | 39 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 49 | 62 | −13 | 30 | |
| 13 | Stenhousemuir | 39 | 11 | 6 | 22 | 41 | 65 | −24 | 28 | |
| 14 | Stranraer | 39 | 7 | 6 | 26 | 36 | 85 | −49 | 20 | |
Promoted: Clyde, Alloa Athletic

## Other honours
### Cup honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Scottish Cup 1981–82 | Aberdeen | 4 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Rangers |
| League Cup 1981–82 | Rangers | 2 – 1 | Dundee United |
| Junior Cup | Blantyre Victoria | 1 – 0 | Baillieston Juniors |

### Individual honours

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Footballer of the Year | Paul Sturrock | Dundee United |
| Players' Player of the Year | Sandy Clark | Airdrieonians |
| Young Player of the Year | Frank McAvennie | St Mirren |

## Scottish national team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 9 September 1981 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Sweden | 2–0 | WCQG6 | Joe Jordan, John Robertson (pen.) |
| 14 October 1981 | Windsor Park, Belfast (A) | Northern Ireland | 0–0 | WCQG6 | |
| 18 November 1981 | Estadio da Luz, Lisbon (A) | Portugal | 1–2 | WCQG6 | Paul Sturrock |
| 24 February 1982 | Estadio Luis Casanova, Valencia (A) | Spain | 0–3 | Friendly | |
| 23 March 1982 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Netherlands | 2–1 | Friendly | Frank Gray (pen.), Kenny Dalglish |
| 28 April 1982 | Windsor Park, Belfast (A) | Northern Ireland | 1–1 | BHC | John Wark |
| 24 May 1982 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Wales | 1–0 | BHC | Asa Hartford |
| 29 May 1982 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | England | 0–1 | BHC | |
| 15 June 1982 | Estadio La Rosaleda, Málaga (N) | New Zealand | 5–2 | WCG6 | John Wark (2), John Robertson, Kenny Dalglish, Steve Archibald |
| 18 June 1982 | Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville (N) | Brazil | 1–4 | WCG6 | David Narey |
| 22 June 1982 | Estadio La Rosaleda, Málaga (N) | USSR | 2–2 | WCG6 | Joe Jordan, Graeme Souness |
Key:
* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* WCQG6 = World Cup qualifying – Group 6
* WCG6 = World Cup – Group 6
* BHC = British Home Championship