2025-26 Scottish Cup, Round Four

Cove versus Kelty. Source.

It’s the Scottish Cup, Round Four, when the Premiership clubs join in. Morton visit Stenhousemuir. These two met in the League Cup group stage in July and Morton won 3 – 0.

Stenny’s best Scottish Cup run came in 1902-03 when they reached the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by Rangers. Morton reached the semi-finals in 1896-97, 1903-04, 1919-20, 1921-22 (when they won the cup), 1936-37, 1947-48 (when they lost the final to Rangers), 1967-68, and 1980-81.

In this century Morton reached the quarter-finals in 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2023-24.

Stenny reached the Challenge Cup quarter-finals this midweek. Morton went out in the second round.

Stenny’s manager Gary Naismith has been in the job for three years, putting him sixth in the SPFL’s managerial seniority list.

Tomi Adeloye has left the club. And alt-manager Billy Davies has too.

[Stenny 4 – 0 Morton] Upset

The other Scottish Cup Round Four matches:
Rangers (Pr) 5 – 0 Annan Athletic (L2) (yesterday)
Dunfermline Athletic (Ch) [1 – 0] Hibs (Pr) Upset
Kilmarnock (Pr) [1 – 2] Dundee (Pr)
Airdrieonians (Ch) [3 – 3] Arbroath (Ch) [Airdrie win on PK]
Stranraer (L2) vs Queen’s Park (Ch) [postponed]
Kelty Hearts (L1) [1 – 1] Cove Rangers (L1) [Kelty win on PK]
Camelon (EP) [1 – 3] Elgin (L2)
The Spartans (L2) [0 – 0] Inverness CT (L1) [Spartans win on PK] Upset
Partick Thistle (Ch) [3 – 1] Montrose (L1)
Livingston (Pr) [1 – 1] St Mirren (Pr) [St Mirren win on PK]
Dundee United (Pr) [2 – 0] Ayr United (Ch)
Motherwell (Pr) [1 – 0] Ross County (Ch)
Hearts (Pr) [1 – 1] Falkirk (Pr) [Falkirk win on PK]
Aberdeen (Pr) [1 – 0] Raith Rovers (Ch) (tomorrow)
Auchinleck Talbot (WP) [0 – 2] Celtic (Pr) (tomorrow at Rugby Park)

Scottish Challenge Cup, R3 (January 13):
Queen’s Park (Ch) 2 – 0 Forfar Athletic (L2)
Stirling Albion (L2) 1 – 2 Stenhousemuir (L1)
Partick Thistle (Ch) 3 – 3 Inverness CT (L1) (ICT win on PK) Upset
Ayr United (Ch) 4 – 1 Stranraer (L2)
Arbroath (Ch) 3 – 0 East Fife (L1)
St Johnstone (Ch) 2 – 0 Ross County (Ch)

Other matches:
Wick Academy [0 – 0] Inverurie Loco Works
Fortuna Düsseldorf 1 – 0 Arminia Bielefeld (yesterday)
Cowdenbeath vs Clydebank [postponed]
Largs Thistle [1 – 2] Cumnock
Port Glasgow [3 – 2] Dalry Thistle
Orkney [1 – 4] Golspie Sutherland
Morton Women [11 – 1] Glasgow GWFC (tomorrow)

Scottish Junior Cup, R5:
Armadale Thistle [1 – 2] Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
Dundee Violet vs Johnstone Burgh [postponed]
Pollok [3 – 2] Knightswood

South Challenge Cup, R5:
Greenock (W2) [2 – 2] Glenafton Athletic (WP) [Greenock win on PK] Upset
Tranent (LL) [2 – 2] St Roch’s (W1) [Tranent win on PK]

King Cup, R2:
Edinburgh University [6 – 3] Coldstream

Lowland League Cup, R1:
Broxburn Athletic [4 – 2] University of Stirling

There’s a piece about HFX Wanderers‘ Tiago Coimbra in the Guardian. (Not the Charlottetown Guardian.) The Wanderers have signed Finn Linder from Vancouver Whitecaps, and Lucas Olguin of the Canadian U21 squad.

Video: Gasworks Park.

Historical matches:
1891/1/17 Northern 3 – 1 Morton
1931/1/17 Morton 1 – 1 Raith Rovers (Sc Cup R1)
1953/1/17 Dumbarton 4 – 2 Morton

SFL results 1890-91:
1891/1/17 Vale of Leven 1 – 3 Rangers
1891/1/17 Cambuslang 4 – 0 Cowlairs
1891/1/17 Arthurlie 1 – 3 St Mirren (Renfrewshire Cup SF)
1891/1/17 Queen’s Park 2 – 2 Third Lanark (Sc Cup R6 replay)
1891/1/17 Dumbarton 3 – 1 Abercorn (Sc Cup SF)

Toby the Sheep

In 1910-11 Morton had a sheep as team mascot. Source.

Dunfermline Athletic visit Cappielow. The Pars are fifth with 26 points, Morton seventh with 22.

Last weekend’s 3 – 2 loss to Partick was the first time since 1951 that Partick had won a league match at Firhill after being down 2 – 0 at the half.

Celtic have sacked manager Wilfried Nancy after only eight matches (two wins, six losses).

Sonny Hart has returned to Swindon Town. Dylan Corr has been loaned out to Kelty Hearts.

[Postponed.]

The other Championship matches:
Ross County (10th) 2 – 0 Partick Thistle (2nd) (yesterday)
Ayr United (4th) [1 – 1] Airdrieonians (8th)
Queen’s Park (9th) vs St Johnstone (1st) [postponed]
Raith Rovers (6th) [2 – 3] Arbroath (3rd)

Scottish Challenge Cup, R3 (January 6):
Queen’s Park (Ch) vs Forfar Athletic (L2) (postponed)
Stirling Albion (L2) vs Stenhousemuir (L1) (postponed)
Partick Thistle (Ch) vs Inverness CT (L1) (postponed)
Raith Rovers (Ch) 1 – 0 Queen of the South (L1)
Airdrieonians (Ch) 3 – 1 Montrose (L1)
Ayr United (Ch) vs Stranraer (L2) (postponed)
Arbroath (Ch) vs East Fife (L1) (postponed)
St Johnstone (Ch) vs Ross County (Ch) (postponed)

West of Scotland League Cup, R2:
Auchinleck Talbot (WP) vs Thorniewood United (W1) (postponed)
Cameron Keay has signed with Talbot.
Girvan (W3) [1 – 2] Petershill (W1)

West of Scotland League Cup, R3:
Benburb (W1) vs Cambuslang Rangers (W2) [postponed]
Yoker Athletic (W3) vs Muirkirk (W1) [postponed]

West of Scotland League Cup, R4:
Neilston (W1) vs Hurlford United (WP) (postponed)
St Roch’s (W1) vs Johnstone Burgh (WP) [postponed]
Thorn Athletic (W2) vs Lesmahagow (W2) (postponed)
Troon (WP) [0 – 0] Beith (WP) [Troon win on PK]

Football Times Cup, QF:
Clachnacuddin ‘A’ vs Golspie Sutherland (postponed)

Other matches:
Fraserburgh [4 – 1] Wick Academy
Cowdenbeath vs Clydebank (postponed)
Renfrew vs Largs Thistle [postponed]
Port Glasgow [2 – 2] Finnart
Coldstream vs Dalkeith Thistle (postponed)
Blantyre Victoria vs Greenock (postponed)

Tiago Coimbra of HFX Wanderers has been called up to the Canadian national team.

Historical matches:
1891/1/10 Morton 5 – 4 Whitefield
1931/1/10 Dundee 3 – 0 Morton
1953/1/10 Morton 1 – 1 St Johnstone
1981/1/10 Morton 0 – 2 Rangers

Cup results of the 1890-91 SFL clubs:
Third Lanark 1 – 1 Queen’s Park (Sc Cup R6)

Vancouver Goldeneyes at Ottawa Charge

Claire Thompson versus Sarah Wozniewicz. Source.

We join the 2025-26 PWHL season already in progress. The Vancouver Goldeneyes visit the Ottawa Charge. The two are seventh and eighth in the league with 12 points each.

This is the league’s third season, as well as Ottawa’s. In Year One they finished fifth and missed the playoffs. Last year they finished third and reached the playoff finals, but fell to Minnesota in a series that went to overtime in every game.

There has been a lot of turnover in the Ottawa squad. This year’s team has fourteen players in common with last year’s, and only five in common with Year One’s: Clark, Hughes, Isbell, Jenner and Mrázová. The Goldeneyes have four players from last year’s Ottawa squad: Bell, Maschmeyer, Schneider and Vanišová.

Rebecca Leslie is the only Ottawa Charge player who is actually from Ottawa.

Ottawa’s top scorer is Brianne Jenner with 10 points; Vancouver’s is Claire Thompson with 7.

The City of Ottawa and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, who own the CFL team and the Ottawa 67s, have cut a deal to rebuild the Lansdowne Park* north stand with a 5,850 capacity hockey rink inside. The Charge were out of this decision-making loop, but the PWHL brass have stated that the club will not play in a smaller rink than the one they have now. Whether that means relocating to the Palladium* in Kanata or to a big stadium in another city like Quebec remains to be seen. (*Rely on me to use the old names for things.)

The Goldeneyes play at the Pacific Coliseum, built in 1968 and the Canucks’ home until 1995. It seats 16,000.

[Ottawa 4, Vancouver 2.]