Toby the Sheep

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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

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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.]

Maple Leafs at Senators, January 6, 1931

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The Leafs visited the Ottawa Auditorium on this date in 1931. They were third in the Canadian Division with 21 points. The Senators were fifth (i.e., last) with 11.

1930-31 was the last season that the Leafs had the Mutual Street Arena as their home rink. They moved into Maple Leaf Gardens in November 1931. The Mutual Street Arena was built in 1912 and seated 7,500. After the Leafs moved out it continued as a multi-use venue and was not demolished until 1989. The Leafs played under the name Toronto Arenas in the 1918-19 season.

The Leafs’ roster was heavy on Ontario talent, with fourteen Ontarians, two Americans, and one each from Quebec and Manitoba. Charlie Conacher, Busher Jackson, Red Horner, Bob Gracie and Alex Levinsky had all played for the Toronto Marlboros. Ace Bailey and Joe Primeau were former Toronto St Mary’s players. Harold Cotton and Babe Dye had played for Toronto Aura Lee.

Conacher, Jackson, Bailey, Primeau, Horner, Dye, Hap Day and King Clancy all went on to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

King Clancy had played nine seasons for the Senators when he was traded to Toronto in 1930. He was a Leaf for seven seasons before moving up to coach the team. You may remember him as Harold Ballard’s sidekick in the 1980s. He played for St Brigid’s in his early days in the Ottawa City League.

The Leafs’ Rolly Huard appeared in only one NHL game, on December 13th, 1930, against Boston, but he scored a goal. He had played for the University of Ottawa and the Montagnards in the Ottawa City League.

First period: goal by Baldy Cotton (Toronto).

Second period: goals by Hec Kilrea (Ottawa), Danny Cox (Ottawa) and Busher Jackson (Toronto).

Third period: no scoring.

Overtime: no scoring. In those days the NHL had regular season overtime in the event of a tie, but if no one scored the tie stood.

Final score: Ottawa 2, Toronto 2.

Montreal Senior Group:
Game 15, December 22: McGill 0 – 1 Canadiens
Game 16, December 22: Montreal AAA 3 – 2 Victorias
Game 17, December 29: Montreal AAA 3 – 1 Canadiens
Game 18, December 29: Victorias 4 – 1 Columbus
Game 19, January 5: Victorias 0 – 3 McGill
Game 20, January 5: Montreal AAA 1 – 1 Columbus

The Brown Brothers

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A mini library in Toronto was set alight by some passing vandal, so the owners rebuilt in honour of The Brown Brothers Ltd., a Wellington Street stationer and bookbindery that burned down in the Great Toronto Fire of 1904. Story. Also.

Glasgow, New York

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St Vincent Street was redressed as New York City for the horse chase sequence in Indiana Jones 5. Source.

Morton visit Partick Thistle. Partick are second in the division with 39 points, Morton seventh with 22. Both meetings so far this season have ended as draws.

Morton played to a scoreless draw against Partick Thistle on this date in 1920, and beat them 3 – 1 on this date in 1931. Morton’s record against all comers on January 3rd is 10 wins, 12 draws and 13 losses, according to Fitbastats.

Morton have scored 18 goals in league play entering this match. Twelve players have scored, and none of them has more than 3 league goals on the season. Partick’s Logan Chalmers has 6.

Ian Murray is the new Morton manager. He has previously managed Dumbarton, St Mirren, Airdrieonians and Raith Rovers. By my count he has 6 wins against Morton, 5 draws and 8 losses.

Morton chairman John Laird has resigned.

From the Scottish Sun style sheet: The words QUIT and SACKED must only be written in all-caps.

[Partick Thistle 3 – 2 Morton. Morton goals by Garrity and Brophy.]

The other Championship matches:
Aidrieonians (9th) [0 – 0] Raith Rovers (6th)
Ayr United (4th) vs Queen’s Park (8th) [postponed]
Dunfermline Athletic (5th) vs Ross County (10th) [postponed]
Ross County have hired Stuart Kettlewell as manager. Kettlewell managed County from 2018 to 2020, and was sacked by Kilmarnock last month.
St Johnstone (1st) [1 – 0] Arbroath (3rd)

Other matches:
Wick Academy vs Forres Mechanics [postponed]
Albion Rovers vs Clydebank [postponed]
Arniston Rangers vs Coldstream [postponed]
Golspie Sutherland vs Alness United [postponed]

Historical matches:
1931/1/1 Morton 1 – 1 Leith Athletic
1931/1/3 Morton 3 – 1 Partick Thistle
1953/1/1 Morton 2 – 2 Stirling Albion
1953/1/3 Hamilton Academical 3 – 0 Morton
1981/1/1 Morton 1 – 3 St Mirren
1981/1/3 Celtic 3 – 0 Morton

When was the last time each SPFL club beat Rangers?
2025/12/21 Hearts 2 – 1 Rangers
2025/11/2 Celtic 3 – 1 Rangers
2025/4/5 Rangers 0 – 2 Hibs
2025/3/1 Rangers 1 – 2 Motherwell
2025/2/22 Rangers 0 – 2 St Mirren
2025/2/9 Rangers 0 – 1 Queen’s Park
2024/10/30 Aberdeen 2 – 1 Rangers
2024/10/20 Kilmarnock 1 – 0 Rangers
2024/4/14 Ross County 3 – 2 Rangers
2022/11/6 St Johnstone 2 – 1 Rangers
2021/8/7 Dundee United 1 – 0 Rangers
2020/3/4 Rangers 0 – 1 Hamilton Academical
2018/9/30 Livingston 1 – 0 Rangers
2017/11/24 Dundee 2 – 1 Rangers
2017/2/24 Inverness CT 2 – 1 Rangers
2016/3/18 Falkirk 3 – 2 Rangers
2015/4/9 Queen of the South 3 – 0 Rangers
2015/2/8 Rangers 1 – 2 Raith Rovers
2014/12/3 Alloa Athletic 3 – 2 Rangers
2013/8/3 Forfar 2 – 1 Rangers
2013/4/20 Rangers 1 – 2 Peterhead
2013/3/9 Rangers 1 – 2 Annan Athletic
2012/10/6 Stirling Albion 1 – 0 Rangers
2007/1/7 Dunfermline Athletic 3 – 2 Rangers
1993/5/4 Partick Thistle 3 – 0 Rangers
1988/4/9 Morton 3 – 2 Rangers
1975/10/11 Ayr United 3 – 0 Rangers
1974/2/2 Rangers 2 – 3 Arbroath
1973/10/13 Rangers 0 – 1 East Fife
1972/10/4 Rangers 1 – 2 Stenhousemuir
1969/12/27 Rangers 0 – 3 Clyde
1894/12/1 Dumbarton 1 – 0 Rangers
The rest never.

47th Empress’s Cup Final

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Regina (purple) and Leonessa (white and black) in action in last year’s Empress’s Cup quarter-finals. Source.

It’s the 47th Empress’s Cup final, played at the Japan National Stadium. The women’s cup final takes over the New Year’s Day time slot that was the property of the men’s cup from 1969 till 2021. Leonessa have been to the final ten times and won seven times. This is Regina’s first appearance. Coincidentally this is the 47th match of the tournament.

Match No. 47: INAC Kobe Leonessa 1 – 2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina

Japanese football is making the switch from a summer schedule to a winter one, the better to fit into the international tournaments and give Japanese players easier access to foreign jobs. This change has been in the works for a few years. When the women’s WE League started in 2021 they knew the change was coming and went straight to the winter format. J1, J2, J3 and the JFL will make the change in June.

How did the 2025 season play out? Kashima Antlers won the J1 title. They and 2nd-place Kashiwa Reysol advance to the next AFC Champions League Elite. 6th-place Machida Zelvia won the Emperor’s Cup and advance to AFC Champions League Two. Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the Super Cup and the J League Cup. Yokohama FC, Shonan Bellmare and Albirex Niigata are relegated to J2.

Mito HollyHock, V-Varen Nagasaki and JEF United Chiba are promoted to J1. Roasso Kumamoto, Renofa Yamaguchi and Ehime FC are relegated to J3.

Tochigi City, Vanraure Hachinohe and Tegevagaro Miyazaki are promoted to J2. Azul Claro Numazu are relegated to the JFL.

Reilac Shiga are promoted to J3. Asuka FC are relegated from the JFL to the Kansai League. Atletico Suzuka are relegated from the JFL to the Tokai League. J-Lease and Vonds Ichihara are promoted to the JFL.

The WE League is ongoing, with INAC Kobe Leonessa currently leading. Loveledge Nagoya won Nadeshiko 1. Speranza Osaka are relegated to Nadeshiko 2. Vonds Ichihara Ladies are promoted to Nadeshiko 1. FC Imabari Ladies are relegated from Nadeshiko 2. Renofa Yamaguchi Ladies are promoted to Nadeshiko 2.