# 2019–20 in Scottish football

The 2019–20 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in Scotland. The domestic season began on 12 July 2019, with the first round of matches in the 2019–20 Scottish League Cup. The 2019–20 Scottish Professional Football League season started on 2 August 2019.
All competitive matches affiliated with the Scottish Football Association were postponed indefinitely on 13 March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Transfer deals

Celtic transfer defender Kieran Tierney to Arsenal for £25 million, a record fee for both a player sold by a Scottish club and for a deal involving a Scottish player.

## League competitions

On 15 April 2020, all divisions in the SPFL below the Scottish Premiership were concluded, and all play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs chose to curtail the season due to the pandemic. On 18 May, the Premiership was curtailed and Celtic declared champions. Final league standings across the four SPFL leagues were determined by the average number of points per game.
Other leagues in Scotland were decided on a points per games basis, or declared null and void.

### Scottish Premiership

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 30 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 89 | 19 | +70 | 80 | 2.67 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Rangers | 29 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 64 | 19 | +45 | 67 | 2.31 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Motherwell | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 41 | 38 | +3 | 46 | 1.53 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 40 | 36 | +4 | 45 | 1.50 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Livingston | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 39 | 1.30 | |
| 6 | St Johnstone | 29 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 28 | 46 | −18 | 36 | 1.24 | |
| 7 | Hibernian | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 37 | 1.23 | |
| 8 | Kilmarnock | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 33 | 1.10 | |
| 9 | St Mirren | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 24 | 41 | −17 | 29 | 0.97 | |
| 10 | Ross County | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 29 | 60 | −31 | 29 | 0.97 | |
| 11 | Hamilton Academical | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 30 | 50 | −20 | 27 | 0.90 | |
| 12 | Heart of Midlothian (R) | 30 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 31 | 52 | −21 | 23 | 0.77 | Relegation to the Championship |
* ↑ All play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs voted to curtail the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* ↑ Since the 2019–20 Scottish Cup was postponed and could not be completed by the UEFA registration deadline of 3 August 2020, the spot awarded to the Scottish Cup winners (Europa League second qualifying round) was passed to the second-placed team, while the fourth-placed team also qualified for European competition.

### Scottish Championship

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dundee United (C) | 28 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 52 | 22 | +30 | 59 | 2.11 | Promotion to the Premiership |
| 2 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 27 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 45 | 1.67 | |
| 3 | Dundee | 27 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 41 | 1.52 | |
| 4 | Ayr United | 27 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 40 | 1.48 | |
| 5 | Arbroath | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 36 | 1.38 | |
| 6 | Dunfermline Athletic | 28 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 37 | 1.32 | |
| 7 | Greenock Morton | 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 36 | 1.29 | |
| 8 | Alloa Athletic | 28 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 33 | 43 | −10 | 31 | 1.11 | |
| 9 | Queen of the South | 28 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 40 | −12 | 28 | 1.00 | |
| 10 | Partick Thistle (R) | 27 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 47 | −15 | 26 | 0.96 | Relegation to League One |
* ↑ All play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs voted to curtail the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.

### Scottish League One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Raith Rovers (C) | 28 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 53 | 1.89 | Promotion to the Championship |
| 2 | Falkirk | 28 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 54 | 18 | +36 | 52 | 1.86 | |
| 3 | Airdrieonians | 28 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 48 | 1.71 | |
| 4 | Montrose | 28 | 15 | 2 | 11 | 48 | 38 | +10 | 47 | 1.68 | |
| 5 | East Fife | 28 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 45 | 1.61 | |
| 6 | Dumbarton | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 38 | 1.36 | |
| 7 | Clyde | 28 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 34 | 1.21 | |
| 8 | Peterhead | 27 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 30 | 44 | −14 | 26 | 0.96 | |
| 9 | Forfar Athletic | 28 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 26 | 47 | −21 | 24 | 0.86 | |
| 10 | Stranraer (R) | 27 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 28 | 57 | −29 | 16 | 0.59 | Relegation to League Two |
* ↑ All play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs voted to curtail the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Scottish League Two

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Promotion |
| 1 | Cove Rangers (C) | 28 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 76 | 34 | +42 | 68 | 2.43 | Promotion to League One |
| 2 | Edinburgh City | 27 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 49 | 28 | +21 | 55 | 2.04 | |
| 3 | Elgin City | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 48 | 34 | +14 | 43 | 1.54 | |
| 4 | Cowdenbeath | 27 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 41 | 1.52 | |
| 5 | Queen's Park | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 40 | 1.43 | |
| 6 | Stirling Albion | 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 34 | 35 | −1 | 36 | 1.29 | |
| 7 | Annan Athletic | 27 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 33 | 54 | −21 | 31 | 1.15 | |
| 8 | Stenhousemuir | 28 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 48 | −16 | 29 | 1.04 | |
| 9 | Albion Rovers | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 37 | 51 | −14 | 24 | 0.92 | |
| 10 | Brechin City | 27 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 31 | 60 | −29 | 17 | 0.63 | |
* ↑ All play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs voted to curtail the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Non-league football
#### Level 5

Highland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts | PPG |
| 1 | Brora Rangers (C) | 26 | 72 | 2.77 |
| 2 | Fraserburgh | 23 | 55 | 2.39 |
| 3 | Rothes | 23 | 53 | 2.30 |
| 4 | Buckie Thistle | 24 | 53 | 2.21 |
| 5 | Inverurie Loco Works | 28 | 59 | 2.11 |
| 6 | Formartine United | 23 | 44 | 1.91 |
| 7 | Nairn County | 22 | 39 | 1.77 |
| 8 | Forres Mechanics | 27 | 43 | 1.59 |
| 9 | Wick Academy | 25 | 32 | 1.28 |
| 10 | Keith | 27 | 34 | 1.26 |
| 11 | Deveronvale | 27 | 31 | 1.15 |
| 12 | Huntly | 27 | 24 | 0.89 |
| 13 | Strathspey Thistle | 22 | 19 | 0.86 |
| 14 | Turriff United | 27 | 18 | 0.67 |
| 15 | Clachnacuddin | 27 | 16 | 0.59 |
| 16 | Fort William | 20 | 10 | 0.50 |
| 17 | Lossiemouth | 28 | 13 | 0.46 |
Lowland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts | PPG |
| 1 | Kelty Hearts (C) | 25 | 68 | 2.72 |
| 2 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | 24 | 62 | 2.58 |
| 3 | BSC Glasgow | 22 | 51 | 2.32 |
| 4 | East Stirlingshire | 26 | 53 | 2.04 |
| 5 | The Spartans | 25 | 49 | 1.96 |
| 6 | Civil Service Strollers | 23 | 39 | 1.70 |
| 7 | East Kilbride | 23 | 37 | 1.61 |
| 8 | Caledonian Braves | 26 | 36 | 1.38 |
| 9 | Cumbernauld Colts | 27 | 36 | 1.33 |
| 10 | University of Stirling | 25 | 31 | 1.24 |
| 11 | Gala Fairydean Rovers | 25 | 27 | 1.08 |
| 12 | Berwick Rangers | 24 | 24 | 1.00 |
| 13 | Gretna 2008 | 24 | 12 | 0.50 |
| 14 | Edinburgh University | 25 | 12 | 0.48 |
| 15 | Dalbeattie Star | 23 | 11 | 0.48 |
| 16 | Vale of Leithen | 23 | 8 | 0.35 |

#### Level 6

East of Scotland Football League Premier Division :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts | PPG |
| 1 | Bo'ness United (C, P) | 21 | 47 | 2.24 |
| 2 | Hill of Beath Hawthorn | 18 | 37 | 2.06 |
| 3 | Broxburn Athletic | 19 | 38 | 2.00 |
| 4 | Tranent Juniors | 20 | 34 | 1.70 |
| 5 | Camelon Juniors | 20 | 34 | 1.70 |
| 6 | Jeanfield Swifts | 16 | 26 | 1.63 |
| 7 | Dundonald Bluebell | 18 | 27 | 1.50 |
| 8 | Penicuik Athletic | 18 | 27 | 1.50 |
| 9 | Linlithgow Rose | 17 | 24 | 1.41 |
| 10 | Musselburgh Athletic | 21 | 27 | 1.29 |
| 11 | Dunbar United | 21 | 23 | 1.10 |
| 12 | Crossgates Primrose | 21 | 23 | 1.10 |
| 13 | Sauchie Juniors | 22 | 20 | 0.91 |
| 14 | Blackburn United | 20 | 18 | 0.90 |
| 15 | Whitehill Welfare | 18 | 16 | 0.89 |
| 16 | Newtongrange Star | 22 | 15 | 0.68 |
South of Scotland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Threave Rovers | 20 | 53 |
| 2 | Stranraer reserves | 16 | 43 |
| 3 | Abbey Vale | 17 | 41 |
| 4 | Bonnyton Thistle | 20 | 40 |
| 5 | Mid-Annandale | 23 | 40 |
| 6 | Newton Stewart | 22 | 34 |
| 7 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 18 | 25 |
| 8 | Heston Rovers | 22 | 25 |
| 9 | St Cuthbert Wanderers | 23 | 23 |
| 10 | Caledonian Braves reserves | 19 | 21 |
| 11 | Lochar Thistle | 22 | 19 |
| 12 | Upper Annandale | 18 | 18 |
| 13 | Wigtown & Bladnoch | 22 | 16 |
| 14 | Lochmaben | 21 | 15 |
| 15 | Creetown | 17 | 13 |
| 16 | Dumfries YMCA | 0 | 0 |

## Honours
### Cup honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match report |
| 2019–20 Scottish Cup | Celtic | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (4–3 pens.) | Heart of Midlothian | BBC Sport |
| 2019–20 League Cup | Celtic | 1–0 | Rangers | BBC Sport |
| 2019–20 Challenge Cup | Inverness CT and Raith Rovers (trophy shared); Final cancelled. | Inverness CT and Raith Rovers (trophy shared); Final cancelled. | Inverness CT and Raith Rovers (trophy shared); Final cancelled. | Inverness CT and Raith Rovers (trophy shared); Final cancelled. |
| 2019–20 Youth Cup | Competition unfinished. Final never played. (Killie v Aberdeen). | Competition unfinished. Final never played. (Killie v Aberdeen). | Competition unfinished. Final never played. (Killie v Aberdeen). | Competition unfinished. Final never played. (Killie v Aberdeen). |
| 2019–20 Junior Cup | Competition scrapped Cancelled at the semi-final stage. | Competition scrapped Cancelled at the semi-final stage. | Competition scrapped Cancelled at the semi-final stage. | Competition scrapped Cancelled at the semi-final stage. |
| 2019–20 South Challenge Cup | Dunipace | 3–1 | Broomhill | |
| 2019–20 Amateur Cup | Tollcross Thistle | 4–4 (a.e.t.) (3–2 pens.) | Drumchapel Amateurs | Edinburgh News |

### Non-league honours
#### Senior

| Level | Competition | Winner |
| 5 | Highland League | Brora Rangers |
| 5 | Lowland League | Kelty Hearts |
| 6 | East of Scotland League Premier Division | Bo'ness United |
| 6 | South of Scotland League | Null and void |
| 7 | East of Scotland League First Division | Conference A: Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale Conference B: Tynecastle |

#### Junior
##### West Region

| Division | Winner |
| West Premiership | Auchinleck Talbot |
| West Championship | Blantyre Victoria / Darvel (joint winners) |
| West League One | Shettleston |
| West League Two | Johnstone Burgh |
* 1 2 3 4 Season suspended in March 2020. Champions were calculated using 'points per game' algorithm with a 'margin for error', announced on 21 April which would recognise the club which 'would have likely gone on to win their respective league titles'.

##### East Region

| Division | Winner |
| East Super League North | Null and void |
| East Super League South | Null and void |
| East Premier League North | Null and void |
| East Premier League South | Null and void |

##### North Region

| Division | Winner |
| North Superleague | Null and void |
| North First Division | Null and void |
| North Second Division | Null and void |

### Individual honours
#### PFA Scotland awards

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, PFA Scotland cancelled their awards for the 2019–20 season.

#### SFWA awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Footballer of the Year | Odsonne Edouard | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | Lewis Ferguson | Aberdeen |
| Manager of the Year | Neil Lennon | Celtic |
| International Player of the Year | John McGinn | Aston Villa |

## Scottish clubs in Europe
### Summary

| Club | Competitions | Started round | Final round | Coef. |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | First qualifying round | Third qualifying round | 16.5 |
| Celtic | UEFA Europa League | Play-off round | Round of 32 | 16.5 |
| Rangers | UEFA Europa League | First qualifying round | Round of 16 | 18.0 |
| Aberdeen | UEFA Europa League | First qualifying round | Third qualifying round | 3.5 |
| Kilmarnock | UEFA Europa League | First qualifying round | First qualifying round | 1.0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 39.0 |
| Average | Average | Average | Average | 9.750 |

### Celtic
#### UEFA Europa League

Having lost in Champions League qualifying to CFR Cluj, Celtic dropped into the Europa League playoff round.

#### Group Stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CEL | CLJ | LAZ | REN |
| 1 | Celtic | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| 2 | CFR Cluj | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Lazio | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 6 | | 1–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Rennes | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | — |

#### Knockout Stage
### Rangers
#### Group Stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | POR | RAN | YB | FEY |
| 1 | Porto | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 10 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| 2 | Rangers | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Young Boys | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 8 | | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Feyenoord | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 5 | | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — |

#### Knockout Stage
### Aberdeen
#### UEFA Europa League
## Women's football

Glasgow City won their 13th consecutive Scottish national title in the 2019 season, which was completed on 24 November with the Scottish Women's Cup final.
2019 was officially the last season of the SWFL First Division and SWFL Second Division, after 20 years (replaced by the SWF Championship and SWFL regional divisions).

### League and Cup honours

| Division | Winner |
| 2019 SWPL 1 | Glasgow City |
| 2019 SWPL 2 | Heart of Midlothian |
| 2019 SWFL First Division (North) | Aberdeen F.C. Women |
| 2019 SWFL First Division (South) | Glasgow City Development |
| 2019 SWFL Second Division (North/East) | Dundee City |
| 2019 SWFL Second Division (West/South West) | Morton |
| 2019 SWFL Second Division (West/Central) | Bishopton |
| 2019 SWFL Second Division (South East/Central) | Edinburgh Caledonia |
| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match report |
| 2019 Scottish Women's Cup | Glasgow City | 4–3 | Hibernian | BBC Sport |
| 2019 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup | Hibernian | (p) 0–0 | Glasgow City | BBC Sport |
| 2019 SWFL First Division Cup | Celtic Academy | 6–0 | Renfrew | She Kicks |
| 2019 SWFL Second Division Cup | Morton | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Dryburgh Athletic | She Kicks |

### Individual honours
#### SWPL awards

* Award
* Players' Player of the Year
* Player of the Year
* Manager of the Year
* Young Player of the Year

### Scottish Women's Premier League
#### SWPL 1

SWPL 1 :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Glasgow City (C, Q) | 21 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 104 | 11 | +93 | 60 | Qualification for the Champions League qualifying round |
| 2 | Hibernian | 21 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 83 | 15 | +68 | 49 | |
| 3 | Celtic | 21 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 64 | 19 | +45 | 49 | |
| 4 | Rangers | 21 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 35 | 57 | −22 | 34 | |
| 5 | Spartans | 21 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 25 | 42 | −17 | 22 | |
| 6 | Motherwell | 21 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 67 | −43 | 19 | |
| 7 | Forfar Farmington | 21 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 15 | 78 | −63 | 9 | |
| 8 | Stirling University (R) | 21 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 14 | 75 | −61 | 2 | Relegation to SWPL 2 |

#### SWPL 2
### UEFA Women's Champions League
#### Glasgow City

Glasgow City entered the Champions League in the round of 32, and were seeded at that stage. City eliminated Russian side Chertanovo to progress to the last 16, where they defeated Danish club Brøndby after a penalty shootout. This meant that City progressed to the quarter-finals, which were originally scheduled for March 2020 but were rescheduled and reformatted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

#### Hibernian

Hibernian entered the Champions League in the qualifying group phase. They progressed to the last 32, where they were unseeded, by winning their group.

### Scotland women's national team
## Deaths

* August: Jimmy Fleming, 90, Stirling Albion and Berwick Rangers full back.
* 22 August: Junior Agogo, 40, Hibernian forward.
* 4 September: Kenny Mitchell, 62, Greenock Morton defender.
* 16 September: Bobby Prentice, 65, Heart of Midlothian winger.
* 18 September: Fernando Ricksen, 43, Rangers defender.
* 23 October: John Fleming, 62, referee and SFA official.
* 11 November: Bill Barr, Ayr United chairman.
* 25 November: Martin Harvey, 78, Raith Rovers assistant manager.
* 11 December: Ian Young, 76, Celtic and St Mirren defender.
* 18 December: Tom White, 80, Raith Rovers, St Mirren, Hearts and Aberdeen forward.
* 20 December: Billy Hughes, 70, Scotland forward.
* 22 December: Duncan MacKay, 82, Celtic, Third Lanark and Scotland defender.
* 6 January: Danny Masterton, 65, Ayr United, Clyde and Queen of the South forward.
* 15 January: Bobby Brown, 96, Queen's Park, Rangers, Falkirk and Scotland goalkeeper; St Johnstone and Scotland manager.
* March: Dave Souter, 79, Dundee United, Arbroath, Berwick Rangers, East Fife, Clyde and Dundee winger and defender.
* 30 March: Alex Forsyth, 91, Albion Rovers and East Stirlingshire outside right.
* 11 April: Peter Bonetti, 78, Dundee United goalkeeper.
* 23 April: John Murphy, 77, Ayr United defender.
* April: John Freebairn, Partick Thistle and Montrose goalkeeper.
* 2 May: John Ogilvie, 91, Hibernian defender.
* 26 May: Christian Mbulu, 23, Motherwell defender.