# 2015–16 in Scottish football

The 2015–16 season was the 119th season of competitive football in Scotland. The domestic season began on 25 July 2015, with the first round of the 2015–16 Scottish Challenge Cup. The 2015–16 Scottish Professional Football League season commenced on 1 August.

## League competitions
### Scottish Premiership

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 93 | 31 | +62 | 86 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Aberdeen | 38 | 22 | 5 | 11 | 62 | 48 | +14 | 71 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 65 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | St Johnstone | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 56 | |
| 5 | Motherwell | 38 | 15 | 5 | 18 | 47 | 63 | −16 | 50 | |
| 6 | Ross County | 38 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 55 | 61 | −6 | 48 | |
| 7 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 52 | |
| 8 | Dundee | 38 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 53 | 57 | −4 | 48 | |
| 9 | Partick Thistle | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 50 | −9 | 46 | |
| 10 | Hamilton Academical | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 43 | |
| 11 | Kilmarnock (O) | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 36 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
| 12 | Dundee United (R) | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 45 | 70 | −25 | 28 | Relegation to the Championship |
* ↑ Teams play each other three times (33 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
* ↑ Dundee United were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 6 May 2016.

### Scottish Championship

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rangers (C, P) | 36 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 88 | 34 | +54 | 81 | Promotion to the Premiership |
| 2 | Falkirk | 36 | 19 | 13 | 4 | 61 | 34 | +27 | 70 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off semi-finals |
| 3 | Hibernian | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 59 | 34 | +25 | 70 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round and for the Premiership play-off semi-finals |
| 4 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 62 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-finals |
| 5 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 39 | 42 | −3 | 43 | |
| 6 | St Mirren | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 42 | |
| 7 | Queen of the South | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 42 | |
| 8 | Dumbarton | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 35 | 66 | −31 | 37 | |
| 9 | Livingston (R) | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 37 | 51 | −14 | 31 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 10 | Alloa Athletic (R) | 36 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 22 | 67 | −45 | 21 | Relegation to League One |
* ↑ Hibernian qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round by winning the 2015–16 Scottish Cup.

### Scottish League One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dunfermline Athletic (C, P) | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 83 | 30 | +53 | 79 | Promotion to Scottish Championship |
| 2 | Ayr United (O, P) | 36 | 19 | 4 | 13 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 61 | Qualification to Championship play-offs |
| 3 | Peterhead | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 72 | 47 | +25 | 59 | Qualification to Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Stranraer | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 43 | 49 | −6 | 51 | Qualification to Championship play-offs |
| 5 | Airdrieonians | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 49 | |
| 6 | Albion Rovers | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 40 | 44 | −4 | 49 | |
| 7 | Brechin City | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 47 | 59 | −12 | 42 | |
| 8 | Stenhousemuir | 36 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 46 | 80 | −34 | 40 | |
| 9 | Cowdenbeath (R) | 36 | 11 | 6 | 19 | 46 | 72 | −26 | 39 | Qualification to League One play-offs |
| 10 | Forfar Athletic (R) | 36 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 48 | 60 | −12 | 34 | Relegation to Scottish League Two |

### Scottish League Two

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | East Fife (C, P) | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 62 | 41 | +21 | 62 | Promotion to Scottish League One |
| 2 | Elgin City | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 59 | 46 | +13 | 59 | Qualification to League One play-offs |
| 3 | Clyde | 36 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 57 | Qualification to League One play-offs |
| 4 | Queen's Park (O, P) | 36 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 46 | 32 | +14 | 56 | Qualification to League One play-offs |
| 5 | Annan Athletic | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 69 | 57 | +12 | 56 | |
| 6 | Berwick Rangers | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 49 | |
| 7 | Stirling Albion | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 48 | |
| 8 | Montrose | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 50 | 70 | −20 | 43 | |
| 9 | Arbroath | 36 | 11 | 6 | 19 | 42 | 51 | −9 | 39 | |
| 10 | East Stirlingshire (R) | 36 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 41 | 79 | −38 | 32 | Qualification to League Two play-off finals |

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

Highland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Cove Rangers (C) | 34 | 89 |
| 2 | Formartine United | 34 | 85 |
| 3 | Brora Rangers | 34 | 85 |
| 4 | Turriff United | 34 | 68 |
| 5 | Wick Academy | 34 | 60 |
| 6 | Inverurie Loco Works | 34 | 58 |
| 7 | Buckie Thistle | 34 | 58 |
| 8 | Nairn County | 34 | 57 |
| 9 | Fraserburgh | 34 | 53 |
| 10 | Keith | 34 | 52 |
| 11 | Forres Mechanics | 34 | 49 |
| 12 | Lossiemouth | 34 | 38 |
| 13 | Deveronvale | 34 | 32 |
| 14 | Clachnacuddin | 34 | 32 |
| 15 | Huntly | 34 | 26 |
| 16 | Strathspey Thistle | 34 | 20 |
| 17 | Fort William | 34 | 16 |
| 18 | Rothes | 34 | 4 |
Lowland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Edinburgh City (C, O, P) | 28 | 73 |
| 2 | The Spartans | 28 | 58 |
| 3 | Stirling University | 28 | 56 |
| 4 | Cumbernauld Colts | 28 | 51 |
| 5 | East Kilbride | 28 | 49 |
| 6 | Edinburgh University | 28 | 42 |
| 7 | BSC Glasgow | 28 | 41 |
| 8 | Whitehill Welfare | 28 | 40 |
| 9 | Dalbeattie Star | 28 | 36 |
| 10 | Gretna 2008 | 28 | 36 |
| 11 | Gala Fairydean Rovers | 28 | 32 |
| 12 | Selkirk | 28 | 29 |
| 13 | Vale of Leithen | 28 | 26 |
| 14 | Preston Athletic | 28 | 22 |
| 15 | Threave Rovers (R) | 28 | 10 |

#### Level 6

East of Scotland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Leith Athletic (C) | 28 | 72 |
| 2 | Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale | 28 | 63 |
| 3 | Civil Service Strollers | 28 | 55 |
| 4 | Tynecastle | 28 | 52 |
| 5 | Hawick Royal Albert | 28 | 48 |
| 6 | Peebles Rovers | 28 | 43 |
| 7 | Spartans Reserves | 28 | 41 |
| 8 | Ormiston | 28 | 41 |
| 9 | Stirling University Reserves | 28 | 35 |
| 10 | Heriot-Watt University | 28 | 33 |
| 11 | Coldstream | 28 | 32 |
| 12 | Craigroyston | 28 | 32 |
| 13 | Burntisland Shipyard | 28 | 27 |
| 14 | Duns | 28 | 14 |
| 15 | Eyemouth United | 28 | 11 |
| 16 | Kelso United | 0 | 0 |
South of Scotland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | St Cuthbert Wanderers (C) | 26 | 73 |
| 2 | Edusport Academy | 26 | 63 |
| 3 | Wigtown & Bladnoch | 26 | 49 |
| 4 | Crichton | 26 | 47 |
| 5 | Heston Rovers | 26 | 44 |
| 6 | Upper Annandale | 26 | 40 |
| 7 | Lochar Thistle | 26 | 38 |
| 8 | Mid-Annandale | 26 | 34 |
| 9 | Newton Stewart | 26 | 33 |
| 10 | Creetown | 26 | 29 |
| 11 | Abbey Vale | 26 | 26 |
| 12 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 26 | 26 |
| 13 | Fleet Star | 26 | 18 |
| 14 | Dumfries YMCA | 26 | 6 |

### SPFL Development League
## Honours
### Cup honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match report |
| 2015–16 Scottish Cup | Hibernian | 3–2 | Rangers | BBC Sport |
| 2015–16 League Cup | Ross County | 2–1 | Hibernian | BBC Sport |
| 2015–16 Challenge Cup | Rangers | 4–0 | Peterhead | BBC Sport |
| 2015–16 Youth Cup | Motherwell | 5–2 | Heart of Midlothian | BBC Sport |
| 2015–16 Junior Cup | Beith Juniors | 1–1 4–3 pens. | Pollok | The Herald |
| 2015–16 Amateur Cup | Colville Park | 2 – 1 | Leven United | Glasgow World |

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

| Competition | Winner |
| Highland League | Cove Rangers |
| Lowland League | Edinburgh City |
| East of Scotland League | Leith Athletic |
| South of Scotland League | St Cuthbert Wanderers |

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

| Division | Winner |
| 2015–16 Super League Premier Division | Auchinleck Talbot |
| Super League First Division | Cumnock Juniors |
| Ayrshire District League | Girvan |
| Central District League First Division | Renfrew |
| Central District League Second Division | Forth Wanderers |

##### East Region

| Division | Winner |
| 2015–16 Superleague | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic |
| Premier League | Jeanfield Swifts |
| North Division | Downfield |
| South Division | Tranent Juniors |

##### North Region

| Division | Winner |
| 2015–16 Superleague | Banks O' Dee |
| First Division (West) | Buckie Rovers |
| First Division (East) | Colony Park |

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

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Players' Player of the Year | Leigh Griffiths | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | Kieran Tierney | Celtic |
| Manager of the Year | Mark Warburton | Rangers |
| Championship Player of Year | Lee Wallace | Rangers |
| League One Player of Year | Faissal El Bakhtaoui | Dunfermline Athletic |
| League Two Player of Year | Nathan Austin | East Fife |

#### SFWA awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Footballer of the Year | Leigh Griffiths | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | Kieran Tierney | Celtic |
| Manager of the Year | Jim McIntyre | Ross County |
| International Player of the Year | Matt Ritchie | Bournemouth |

## Scottish clubs in Europe

Celtic, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Aberdeen and St Johnstone qualified for European competition.

### St Johnstone
#### UEFA Europa League
## Women's football
### Scottish Women's Premier League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Glasgow City (C, Q) | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 99 | 11 | +88 | 59 | 2016–17 Champions League |
| 2 | Hibernian (Q) | 21 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 72 | 20 | +52 | 53 | 2016–17 Champions League |
| 3 | Celtic | 21 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 54 | 28 | +26 | 35 | |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 34 | |
| 5 | Spartans | 21 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 44 | 38 | +6 | 25 | |
| 6 | Rangers | 21 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 30 | 57 | −27 | 24 | |
| 7 | Stirling University | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 45 | 31 | +14 | 36 | |
| 8 | Forfar Farmington | 21 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 34 | |
| 9 | Heart of Midlothian (R) | 21 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 52 | −25 | 22 | 2016 SPWL 2 |
| 10 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 21 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 24 | 62 | −38 | 22 | 2016 SPWL 2 |
| 11 | Hutchison Vale (R) | 21 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 31 | 65 | −34 | 18 | 2016 SPWL 2 |
| 12 | Inverness City (R) | 21 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 14 | 89 | −75 | 3 | 2016 SPWL 2 |

### League and Cup honours

| Division | Winner |
| 2015 Scottish Women's Premier League | Glasgow City |
| SWFL First Division | Glasgow Girls |
| SWFL Second Division North | |
| SWFL Second Division West/South West | |
| SWFL Second Division East/Central | |
| SWFL Second Division South East | |
| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match report |
| 2015 Scottish Women's Cup | Glasgow City | 3 – 0 | Hibernian | BBC Sport |
| 2015 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup | Glasgow City | 2 – 1 (AET) | Hibernian | BBC Sport |
| SWFL First Division Cup | | | | |
| SWFL Second Division Cup | | | | |

### Individual honours
#### SWPL awards

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

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

* 10 July: Jimmy Murray, 82, Hearts, Falkirk, Clyde, Raith Rovers and Scotland forward.
* 2 August: Sammy Cox, 91, Queen's Park, Third Lanark, Dundee, Rangers, East Fife and Scotland defender.
* 6 August: Danny Hegan, 72, Albion Rovers midfielder.
* 16 August: George Merchant, 89, Dundee and Falkirk forward.
* 29 August: Graham Leggat, 81, Aberdeen and Scotland forward.
* 6 September: Ralph Milne, 54, Dundee United winger.
* 6 September: Hugh Ormond, 92, Dundee United and St Mirren full back.
* 12 September: Jim Doherty, 61, Albion Rovers and Stranraer midfielder.
* 1 October: Joe Wark, 67, Motherwell defender.
* 2 October: Johnny Paton, 92, Celtic winger.
* 17 October: Johnny Hamilton, 66, Rangers, Hibernian and St Johnstone midfielder.
* 23 October: Peter Price, 83, St Mirren, Ayr United, Raith Rovers and Albion Rovers forward.
* 25 October: Matt Watson, 79, Kilmarnock and Queen of the South full-back.
* 5 November: Brown McMaster, 66, Scottish Football League president (2007–09); Partick Thistle and Stenhousemuir executive.
* 15 November: Jackie McGugan, 76, St Mirren, Ayr United and Morton defender.
* 5 December: Willie Coburn, 74, St Johnstone, Forfar and Cowdenbeath defender.
* 6 December: Ian Burns, 76, Aberdeen and Brechin City wing half.
* 8 December: Alan Hodgkinson, 79, Scotland goalkeeping coach.
* 10 December: Arnold Peralta, 26, Rangers midfielder.
* December: Duncan Lambie, 63, Dundee, St Johnstone and Hibernian forward.
* 19 January: Joachim Fernandez, 43, Dundee United defender.
* 22 January: Tommy Bryceland, 76, St Mirren forward and manager.
* January: John Dowie, 60, Celtic and Clyde defender
* 28 January: Dave Thomson, 77, Dunfermline Athletic, Queen of the South, Berwick Rangers and East Stirlingshire forward.
* 28 January: Tommy O'Hara, 62, Queen of the South, Motherwell, Falkirk and Partick Thistle midfielder.
* 4 February: Harry Glasgow, 76, Clyde, Arbroath and Stenhousemuir defender, Stenhousemuir manager.
* 24 February: Jim McFadzean, 77, Heart of Midlothian, St Mirren, Raith Rovers, Kilmarnock and Ayr United defender.
* 4 March: Eddie Blyth, 91, St Mirren forward.
* 11 March: Billy Ritchie, 79, Rangers, Partick Thistle, Motherwell, Stranraer and Scotland goalkeeper.
* 22 March: Les Thomson, 79, Falkirk, Stirling Albion and Stenhousemuir centre-half.
* 31 March: Ian Britton, 61, Dundee United and Arbroath midfielder.
* 31 March: Jimmy Toner, 91, Dundee inside forward.
* 7 May: Chris Mitchell, 27, Falkirk, Ayr United, Bradford City, Queen of the South and Clyde midfielder.
* 8 May: George Ross, 73, Preston North End full back.
* 11 May: Bobby Carroll, 77, Celtic, St Mirren, Dundee United and Queen of the South winger.
* 14 May: Jim Finlayson, East Fife, Forfar Athletic and Montrose forward.
* 14 May: John Coyle, 83, Dundee United, Brechin City and Clyde forward.
* 25 May: Ian Gibson, 73, Scotland under-23 international.
* 20 June: Willie Logie, 83, Rangers, Aberdeen, Arbroath, Brechin City and Alloa Athletic wing half.