# 2018–19 in Scottish football

The 2018–19 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in Scotland. The domestic season began on 14 July 2018, with the first round of matches in the 2018–19 Scottish League Cup. The 2018–19 Scottish Professional Football League season commenced on 4 August.

## Transfer deals

Celtic sold striker Moussa Dembélé to Lyon for €22 million (about £19.7 million), a record transfer fee received by a Scottish club at the time.

## League competitions
### Scottish Premiership

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 77 | 20 | +57 | 87 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Rangers | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 82 | 27 | +55 | 78 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 50 | 31 | +19 | 67 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 44 | +13 | 67 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Hibernian | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 51 | 39 | +12 | 54 | |
| 6 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 42 | 50 | −8 | 51 | |
| 7 | St Johnstone | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 52 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 51 | |
| 9 | Livingston | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 44 | |
| 10 | Hamilton Academical | 38 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 28 | 75 | −47 | 33 | |
| 11 | St Mirren (O) | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 34 | 66 | −32 | 32 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
| 12 | Dundee (R) | 38 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 31 | 78 | −47 | 21 | 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).

### Scottish Championship

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Ross County (C, P) | 36 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 63 | 34 | +29 | 71 | Promotion to the Premiership |
| 2 | Dundee United | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 65 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off semi-final |
| 3 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 36 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 56 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-final |
| 4 | Ayr United | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 38 | +12 | 54 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-final |
| 5 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 36 | 45 | −9 | 46 | |
| 6 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 43 | |
| 7 | Dunfermline Athletic | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 33 | 40 | −7 | 41 | |
| 8 | Alloa Athletic | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 39 | 53 | −14 | 39 | |
| 9 | Queen of the South (O) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 38 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 10 | Falkirk (R) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 38 | Relegation to League One |

### Scottish League One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Arbroath (C, P) | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 63 | 38 | +25 | 70 | Promotion to the Championship |
| 2 | Forfar Athletic | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 54 | 47 | +7 | 63 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 3 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 60 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Montrose | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 50 | −1 | 51 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 5 | Airdrieonians | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 48 | |
| 6 | Dumbarton | 36 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 46 | |
| 7 | East Fife | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 49 | 56 | −7 | 46 | |
| 8 | Stranraer | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 45 | 57 | −12 | 42 | |
| 9 | Stenhousemuir (R) | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 35 | 61 | −26 | 37 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 10 | Brechin City (R) | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 42 | 61 | −19 | 36 | Relegation to League Two |

### Scottish League Two

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Peterhead (C, P) | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 65 | 29 | +36 | 79 | Promotion to League One |
| 2 | Clyde (O, P) | 36 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 63 | 35 | +28 | 74 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 3 | Edinburgh City | 36 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 58 | 31 | +27 | 67 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 4 | Annan Athletic | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 70 | 39 | +31 | 66 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 5 | Stirling Albion | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 47 | |
| 6 | Cowdenbeath | 36 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 43 | |
| 7 | Queen's Park | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 44 | 47 | −3 | 43 | |
| 8 | Elgin City | 36 | 13 | 4 | 19 | 52 | 67 | −15 | 43 | |
| 9 | Albion Rovers | 36 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 32 | 71 | −39 | 27 | |
| 10 | Berwick Rangers (R) | 36 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 27 | 91 | −64 | 19 | Qualification for the League Two play-off final |
* 1 2 3 Albion Rovers and Queen's Park were awarded 3–0 technical victories against Clyde in February 2019 after Clyde fielded an ineligible player. The original matches had finished 1–0 to Clyde and 1–1 respectively.

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

Highland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Cove Rangers (C, O, P) | 34 | 93 |
| 2 | Brora Rangers | 34 | 85 |
| 3 | Fraserburgh | 34 | 79 |
| 4 | Formartine United | 34 | 72 |
| 5 | Inverurie Loco Works | 34 | 66 |
| 6 | Forres Mechanics | 34 | 66 |
| 7 | Wick Academy | 34 | 52 |
| 8 | Buckie Thistle | 34 | 49 |
| 9 | Huntly | 34 | 49 |
| 10 | Rothes | 34 | 44 |
| 11 | Nairn County | 34 | 42 |
| 12 | Deveronvale | 34 | 41 |
| 13 | Keith | 34 | 37 |
| 14 | Strathspey Thistle | 34 | 33 |
| 15 | Turriff United | 34 | 32 |
| 16 | Clachnacuddin | 34 | 24 |
| 17 | Lossiemouth | 34 | 8 |
| 18 | Fort William | 34 | −7 |
Lowland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | East Kilbride (C) | 28 | 72 |
| 2 | BSC Glasgow | 28 | 61 |
| 3 | Kelty Hearts | 28 | 54 |
| 4 | The Spartans | 28 | 51 |
| 5 | Civil Service Strollers | 28 | 49 |
| 6 | East Stirlingshire | 28 | 39 |
| 7 | Cumbernauld Colts | 28 | 39 |
| 8 | Gala Fairydean Rovers | 28 | 34 |
| 9 | Edusport Academy | 28 | 33 |
| 10 | Stirling University | 28 | 31 |
| 11 | Edinburgh University | 28 | 30 |
| 12 | Gretna 2008 | 28 | 29 |
| 13 | Vale of Leithen | 28 | 29 |
| 14 | Dalbeattie Star | 28 | 22 |
| 15 | Whitehill Welfare (R) | 28 | 12 |
| 16 | Selkirk | 0 | 0 |

#### Level 6

East of Scotland Football League Championship play-off :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic (C, P) | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Penicuik Athletic | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Broxburn Athletic | 2 | 0 |
South of Scotland Football League :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts |
| 1 | Stranraer reserves (C) | 30 | 88 |
| 2 | Bonnyton Thistle | 30 | 70 |
| 3 | Nithsdale Wanderers | 30 | 60 |
| 4 | Abbey Vale | 30 | 57 |
| 5 | Upper Annandale | 30 | 57 |
| 6 | Mid-Annandale | 30 | 55 |
| 7 | Lochar Thistle | 30 | 53 |
| 8 | Heston Rovers | 30 | 48 |
| 9 | Threave Rovers | 30 | 45 |
| 10 | St Cuthbert Wanderers | 30 | 45 |
| 11 | Lochmaben | 30 | 29 |
| 12 | Wigtown & Bladnoch | 30 | 27 |
| 13 | Newton Stewart | 30 | 22 |
| 14 | Creetown | 30 | 19 |
| 15 | Dumfries YMCA | 30 | 11 |
| 16 | Annan Athletic reserves | 30 | 2 |

### SPFL Reserve League

In 2018, the Development League was abolished and replaced by a reserve team competition.

## Honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match report |
| 2018–19 Scottish Cup | Celtic | 2–1 | Heart of Midlothian | BBC Sport |
| 2018–19 League Cup | Celtic | 1–0 | Aberdeen | BBC Sport |
| 2018–19 Challenge Cup | Ross County | 3–1 | Connah's Quay Nomads | BBC Sport |
| 2018–19 Youth Cup | Rangers | 3–2 | Celtic | BBC Sport |
| 2018–19 Junior Cup | Auchinleck Talbot | 2–0 | Largs Thistle | BBC Sport |
| 2018–19 South Challenge Cup | East Kilbride | 2–1 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | Edinburgh Evening News |
| 2018–19 Amateur Cup | Colville Park | 2 – 0 | Eastfield | Glasgow World |

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

| Competition | Winner |
| Highland League | Cove Rangers |
| Lowland League | East Kilbride |
| East of Scotland League | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic |
| South of Scotland League | Stranraer reserves |

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

| Division | Winner |
| Premiership | Auchinleck Talbot |
| Championship | Rutherglen Glencairn |
| League One | Gartcairn Juniors |
| League Two | Lanark United |

##### East Region

| Division | Winner |
| Superleague | Lochee United |
| Premier League North | Dundee North End |
| Premier League South | Pumpherston |

##### North Region

| Division | Winner |
| Superleague | Banks O' Dee |
| North First Division | Banchory St. Ternan |
| North Second Division | Buchanhaven Hearts |

### Reserve honours

| Competition | Winner | Runner-up |
| Reserve League | Rangers | Celtic |
| Reserve League 2 | Livingston | Ayr United |
| Reserve League Cup | Heart of Midlothian | Motherwell |
| Reserve Challenge Cup | Ayr United | Livingston |

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

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Players' Player of the Year | James Forrest | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | Ryan Kent | Rangers |
| Manager of the Year | Steve Clarke | Kilmarnock |
| Championship Player of Year | Stephen Dobbie | Queen of the South |
| League One Player of Year | Bobby Linn | Arbroath |
| League Two Player of Year | Blair Henderson | Edinburgh City |

#### SFWA awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Footballer of the Year | James Forrest | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | David Turnbull | Motherwell |
| Manager of the Year | Steve Clarke | Kilmarnock |
| International Player of the Year | James Forrest | Celtic |

#### SPFL awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Premiership Manager | Steve Clarke | Kilmarnock |
| Premiership Player | James Forrest | Celtic |
| Championship Manager | Steve Ferguson and Stuart Kettlewell | Ross County |
| Championship Player | Stephen Dobbie | Queen of the South |
| League One Manager | Dick Campbell | Arbroath |
| League One Player | Bobby Linn | Arbroath |
| League Two Manager | Danny Lennon | Clyde |
| League Two Player | Blair Henderson | Edinburgh City |

## Scottish clubs in Europe
### Summary

| Club | Competitions | Started round | Final round | Coef. |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | First qualifying round | Third qualifying round | 11.5 |
| Celtic | UEFA Europa League | Play-off round | Round of 32 | 11.5 |
| Aberdeen | UEFA Europa League | Second qualifying round | Second qualifying round | 0.5 |
| Rangers | UEFA Europa League | First qualifying round | Group Stage | 11.0 |
| Hibernian | UEFA Europa League | First qualifying round | Third qualifying round | 4.0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 27.0 |
| Average | Average | Average | Average | 6.750 |

### Celtic
#### UEFA Champions League

Celtic started in the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, and were drawn against Armenian club Alashkert.

#### UEFA Europa League

Having lost in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, Celtic dropped into the play-off round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.
Group stage
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAL | CEL | RBL | ROS |
| 1 | Red Bull Salzburg | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 18 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Celtic | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | RB Leipzig | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 7 | | 2–3 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 |
| 4 | Rosenborg | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 14 | −10 | 1 | | 2–5 | 0–1 | 1–3 | — |
Celtic finished second in Group B, and progressed to the knockout rounds.
Knockout stage

### Aberdeen
#### UEFA Europa League

Having finished second in the 2017–18 Scottish Premiership, Aberdeen started in the second qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.

### Rangers
#### UEFA Europa League

Rangers started in the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, where they were drawn to play Macedonian club Shkupi.
Group stage
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VIL | RW | RAN | SPM |
| 1 | Villarreal | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 10 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 5–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Rapid Wien | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 10 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Rangers | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | | 0–0 | 3–1 | — | 0–0 |
| 4 | Spartak Moscow | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 5 | | 3–3 | 1–2 | 4–3 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Villarreal 4, Rapid Wien 1.

### Hibernian
#### UEFA Europa League

Hibernian started in the first qualifying round of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, and were paired with Faroese club Runavík.

## Women's football
### League and Cup honours

| Division | Winner |
| 2018 SWPL 1 | Glasgow City |
| 2018 SWPL 2 | Motherwell |
| 2018 SWFL First Division (North) | Dundee United |
| 2018 SWFL First Division (South) | Hibernian 23s |
| 2018 SWFL Second Division (West) | Ayr United |
| 2018 SWFL Second Division (Central) | Glasgow City Development |
| 2018 SWFL Second Division (East) | Kelty Hearts CC |
| 2018 SWFL Second Division (North) | Montrose |
| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match report |
| 2018 Scottish Women's Cup | Hibernian | 8–0 | Motherwell | BBC Sport |
| 2018 SWPL Cup | Hibernian | 9–0 | Celtic | BBC Sport |
| SWFL First Division Cup | Celtic Academy | 1–0 | Hibernian 23s | |
| 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

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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Glasgow City (C, Q) | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 75 | 12 | +63 | 59 | Qualification for the Champions League Round of 32 |
| 2 | Hibernian (Q) | 21 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 80 | 17 | +63 | 56 | Qualification for the Champions League Qualifying Round |
| 3 | Celtic | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 36 | |
| 4 | Rangers | 21 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 33 | 46 | −13 | 25 | |
| 5 | Forfar Farmington | 21 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 45 | −25 | 23 | |
| 6 | Spartans | 21 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 46 | −23 | 16 | |
| 7 | Stirling University | 21 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 54 | −37 | 15 | |
| 8 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 21 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 55 | −38 | 12 | Relegation to SWPL 2 |

#### SWPL 2

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Motherwell (C, P) | 21 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 90 | 19 | +71 | 56 | Promotion to SWPL 1 |
| 2 | FC Kilmarnock | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 32 | +9 | 35 | |
| 3 | Heart of Midlothian | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 30 | +9 | 34 | |
| 4 | St Johnstone | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 39 | 40 | −1 | 31 | |
| 5 | Edinburgh University Hutchison Vale | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 30 | |
| 6 | Glasgow Girls | 21 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 43 | 48 | −5 | 28 | |
| 7 | Aberdeen (R) | 21 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 29 | 53 | −24 | 15 | Relegation to SWFL Division 1 – North |
| 8 | Central Girls (R) | 21 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 24 | 95 | −71 | 8 | |
* 1 2 FC Kilmarnock were awarded a 3–0 win against Motherwell on 22 February 2018 after they failed to hand a team line to their opponents and the referee 45 minutes before kick-off. The match had finished 2–1 to Motherwell.
* ↑ Three Aberdeen victories in August were annulled due to fielding an ineligible player, but the original results were reinstated on appeal.

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

Glasgow City entered the Champions League in the qualifying round.

### Scotland women's national team

With a 2–1 win against Albania in the final round of group fixtures, Scotland qualified for their first World Cup finals tournament by winning UEFA Group 2.

## Deaths

* 8 July: Alan Gilzean, 79, Dundee and Scotland forward.
* 14 July: Davie McParland, 83, Partick Thistle winger; Partick Thistle, Queen's Park and Hamilton Academical manager; Celtic assistant manager.
* 21 July: Allan Ball, 75, Queen of the South goalkeeper.
* c.23 July: Jimmy Copeland, 76, Kilmarnock, Dumbarton, Montrose and Clyde forward.
* 10 August: Alan Hercher, 52, Inverness Caledonian Thistle midfielder.
* September: George O'Hara, Dundee and Queen of the South forward.
* 24 September: Jim Brogan, 74, Celtic, Ayr United and Scotland full-back.
* 31 October: Johnny Graham, 73, Third Lanark, Dundee United, Falkirk, Hibernian and Ayr United midfielder.
* 13 November: William Mullan, 90, referee.
* 13 November: David Stewart, 71, Ayr United and Scotland goalkeeper.
* 16 November: Flemming Nielsen, 84, Morton midfielder.
* 19 November: George Yardley, 76, East Fife goalkeeper and forward.
* 22 November: Len Campbell, 71, Dumbarton wing half.
* 1 January: Freddie Glidden, 91, Hearts and Dumbarton defender.
* 24 January: Hugh McIlvanney, 84, journalist.
* 5 February: Joe Fascione, 74, Dundee United winger.
* 9 February: Katharina Lindner, 39, Glasgow City forward.
* 9 February: Ian Ross, 72, Berwick Rangers manager.
* 17 February: Johnny Valentine, 88, Queen's Park, Rangers and St Johnstone defender.
* 4 March: Eric Caldow, 84, Rangers, Stirling Albion and Scotland defender; Stranraer manager.
* 7 March: Bobby Campbell, 77, Greenock Morton, St Mirren and Motherwell inside right.
* 12 April: Ivor Broadis, 96, Queen of the South forward.
* 22 April: Billy McNeill, 79, Celtic and Scotland defender; Clyde, Aberdeen and Celtic manager.
* 29 April: Stevie Chalmers, 83, Dumbarton, Celtic, Morton, Partick Thistle and Scotland forward.
* 13 May: George Smith, 75, referee.
* 26 May: Harry Hood, 74, Clyde, Celtic, Motherwell and Queen of the South forward; Albion Rovers and Queen of the South manager.
* 4 June: Lawrie Leslie, 84, Hibernian, Airdrie and Scotland goalkeeper.
* 17 June: Ian MacFarlane, 86, Aberdeen full-back.
* 19 June: Ernie Collumbine, 80/81, Stenhousemuir, East Stirlingshire, St Johnstone and Clydebank wing-half.
* 24 June: Bobby Brown, 87, Motherwell full-back.