A segment of the new Renfrew bridge is towed past Gourock. Source.
Falkirk visit Cappielow for the first time since 2019. The Bairns are currently second in the Championship with 9 points, while Morton are sixth with 3 points.
For a long while after the McKinnon Affair Falkirk were the most hated club in Greenock, but five years of separation have allowed the mantle of most obnoxious opponent to pass to Partick Thistle.
Falkirk went undefeated in League One last season and won that division by 24 points. They have not been defeated in a league match since April 18th, 2023, a run of 41 matches, which is the third-longest streak in Scottish League history. In the past calendar year they have posted only three losses, all of them cup games:
2024/1/20 Bonnyrigg Rose 2 - 1 Falkirk ScCup R4
2024/2/3 Falkirk 0 - 1 The New Saints ChCup SF
2024/7/16 Ayr United 1 - 0 Falkirk LCup GS
They are the only Championship side left in the current League Cup.
Morton have played Falkirk only once since the Bairns' relegation. That was in the 2022-23 League Cup group stage; after a scoreless draw Falkirk won in the shootout. The last Morton player to score against Falkirk was Charlie Telfer, April 20th, 2019.
Morton have begun the league season with the three consecutive draws. The last time they did that was 2016-17. The time before that was 1975-76 and the time before that was 1960-61. They have never started a season with four draws in a row.
Falkirk's Ross MacIver played for Morton in 2020-21, as did Aiden Nesbitt in 2016-17 and from 2019 to 2021, and Gary Oliver from 2016 to 2019 and 2020 to 2022. Calvin Miller played for Morton in 2023. No one on the Morton squad has played for Falkirk.
Yesterday Morton signed 37-year old winger Niall McGinn, formerly of Dungannon Swifts, Derry City, Celtic, Brentford, Aberdeen, Gwangju, Dundee and Glentoran.
[Morton 2 - 3 Falkirk. Morton goals by Boyes and Baird.]
The other Championship matches:
Dunfermline (10th) [1 - 1] Ayr United (1st)
Hamilton (5th) [2 - 2] Airdrieonians (8th)
Partick Thistle (9th) [3 - 0] Queen's Park (4th)
Raith Rovers (7th) [0 - 1] Livingston (3rd)
Other matches:
Fylkir 2 - 2 Þór/KA (August 25)
Stockport Town 2 - 1 FC Isle of Man (August 26)
Nairn County 1 - 5 Brora Rangers (August 27)
Scrosoppi 1 - 0 Alliance United (August 28)
Kerry 0 - 1 UCD (yesterday)
Forres Mechanics [1 - 1] Nairn County
Banks o' Dee JFC vs Culter (postponed)
Civil Service Strollers [1 - 1] Broomhill
Largs Thistle [2 - 0] Shotts Bon Accord
Video: Dazza Visits a Chippy in Largs
Colne [1 - 1] FC Isle of Man
Mito HollyHock [3 - 1] Ehime FC
Scrosoppi [2 - 0] ProStars
Þór/KA 1 - 0 FH
ReinMeer Aomori [4 - 1] Yokohama Musashino (tomorrow)
Orca Kamogawa [1 - 1] Sfida Setagaya (tomorrow)
SWF Championship and League One Cup, R1 (tomorrow):
Glasgow Women [5 - 1] Morton Women
WE League Cup, group stage:
Elfen Saitama [1 - 3] JEF United Chiba
Canadian Championship semi-finals, second leg (August 27):
Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 0 Pacific
Whitecaps advance.
Toronto FC 1 - 0 Forge
2 - 2 on aggregate. Toronto wins on the away goal rule, which you hardly ever hear of anymore.
A drone was observed over a Forge practice prior to the first leg of this tie, two weeks before the Summer Olympic drone scandal broke. Story.
UEFA Champions League, playoff round, second leg (August 27):
Sparta Prague 2 - 0 Malmö
Malmö drop down to the Europa League.
UEFA Europa League, playoff round, second leg (August 29):
Hearts 0 - 1 Viktoria Plzeň
Elfsborg 0 - 1 Molde
1 - 1 on aggregate. Elfsborg win on PK.
Shamrock Rovers 0 - 2 PAOK
Elfsborg advance. Hearts and Shamrock Rovers drop down to the Conference League.
UEFA Conference League, playoff round, second leg (mostly August 29):
Kilmarnock 1 - 1 Copenhagen
The New Saints 0 - 0 Panevėžys (Lithuania)
Başakşehir (Türkiye) 2 - 0 St Patrick's Athletic (August 28)
Larne 3 - 1 Lincoln Red Imps
Larne and The New Saints advance. Kilmarnock and St Patrick's are out.
Scottish Junior Cup, Round One:
Cruden vs Neilston [No, it's on September 21 and the winner will get a bye to Round 3.]
That's it. That's the only fixture in this round.
Scottish Cup, Preliminary Round 2:
Tynecastle (EP) 4 - 0 Glasgow University (W3) (yesterday)
Bo'ness Athletic (E1) 2 - 0 Kilwinning Rangers (W1) (yesterday)
Glenafton Athletic (WP) [2 - 4] Threave Rovers (W3) Upset
Coldstream (E2) [0 - 6] Camelon Juniors (E1)
Bonnyton Thistle (W2) [0 - 1] Dunbar United (EP)
Jeanfield Swifts (EP) [3 - 0] Newton Stewart (SL)
Lochee United (ML) [4 - 0] Hawick Royal Albert (E3)
Golspie Sutherland (NCL) [0 - 2] Carluke Rovers (W4) Upset
Pollok (WP) [1 - 3] Darvel (WP)
Coupar Hearts (KoF) [4 - 0] Wigtown & Bladnoch (SL) Upset
Preston Athletic (E1) [2 - 3] Irvine Meadow (W1)
Tayport (ML) [1 - 3] Dundee North End (ML)
Culter (NP) [1 - 2] Sauchie Juniors (EP)
Dundonald Bluebell (EP) [3 - 1] Edinburgh University (EP)
Fort William (NCL) [0 - 8] Hill of Beath Hawthorn (EP)
Benburb (WP) [0 - 3] Vale of Leithen (E2) Upset
Burntisland Shipyard (E2) [2 - 1] Dunipace (EP) Upset
Haddington Athletic (EP) [1 - 4] Auchinleck Talbot (WP)
Creetown (SL) [1 - 3] Cumnock Juniors (WP)
Penicuik Athletic (EP) [0 - 1] Musselburgh Athletic (EP)
Girvan (W3) [9 - 0] St Cuthbert Wanderers (SL) Upset
Dalkeith Thistle (E2) [1 - 0] Blackburn United (E1) Upset
Dalbeattie Star (SL) [1 - 2] Whitehill Welfare (E1) Upset
Rutherglen Glencairn (W1) [2 - 0] Hutchison Vale (EP) Upset
Easthouses Lily (E2) [0 - 4] Newtongrange Star (E1)
Clydebank (WP) [7 - 0] St Andrews United (EP)
Key: tier 6 = WP EP SL NCL ML NP; tier 7 = W1 E1; tier 8 = W2 E2; tier 9 = W3 E3; tier 10 = W4; KoF is outside the pyramid
Historical matches:
1901/8/31 Hearts 3 - 1 Morton
1940/8/31 Morton 1 - 1 Falkirk
2002/8/31 East Stirlingshire 1 - 1 Morton
Goal by Alex Williams.
Arthurlie FC 1925-26:
1926/9/14 St Mirren 3 - 0 Arthurlie RCup F leg two
1926/8/31 St Mirren 3 - 1 Arthurlie RCup F leg one
1926/8/25 Morton 2 - 3 Arthurlie RCup R2
1926/4/24 Stenhousemuir 2 - 3 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/4/17 Arthurlie 1 - 0 King's Park SFL2
1926/4/13 Arthurlie 4 - 2 Paisley GSFP RCup R1
1926/4/10 Bo'ness 1 - 0 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/4/3 Arthurlie 3 - 1 Arbroath SFL2
1926/3/27 Clyde 2 - 1 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/3/20 Broxburn United 1 - 2 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/3/13 Arthurlie 3 - 1 Alloa Athletic SFL2
1926/3/6 Ayr United 1 - 0 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/2/27 Albion Rovers 3 - 2 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/2/20 East Fife 7 - 1 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/2/17 East Stirlingshire 3 - 1 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/2/13 Arthurlie 6 - 6 Nithsdale Wanderers SFL2
1926/2/9 Clyde 1 - 0 Arthurlie SCup R2 replay
1926/2/6 Arthurlie 2 - 2 Clyde SCup R2
1926/1/30 Arthurlie 2 - 0 Queen of the South SFL2
1926/1/23 Arthurlie 5 - 4 Armadale SCup R1
1926/1/16 St Bernard's 5 - 3 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/1/9 Arthurlie 2 - 6 Dunfermline Athletic SFL2
1926/1/4 Bathgate 1 - 3 Arthurlie SFL2
1926/1/2 Arthurlie 1 - 2 Dumbarton SFL2
1926/1/1 Third Lanark 3 - 0 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/12/26 Arthurlie 7 - 4 Armadale SFL2
1925/12/19 Arthurlie 1 - 0 Clyde SFL2
1925/12/12 Nithsdale Wanderers 3 - 1 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/12/5 Arthurlie 2 - 2 Ayr United SFL2
1925/11/28 Arthurlie 5 - 0 East Fife SFL2
1925/11/21 Arbroath 4 - 3 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/11/14 Arthurlie 3 - 0 Bo'ness SFL2
1925/11/7 Arthurlie 2 - 3 St Bernard's SFL2
1925/10/31 King's Park 1 - 3 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/10/24 Arthurlie 1 - 2 Stenhousemuir SFL2
1925/10/17 Arthurlie 2 - 1 Bathgate SFL2
1925/10/10 Dunfermline Athletic 0 - 0 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/10/3 Arthurlie 4 - 1 East Stirlingshire SFL2
1925/9/26 Queen of the South 2 - 0 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/9/19 Arthurlie 4 - 0 Broxburn United SFL2
1925/9/12 Dumbarton 0 - 0 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/9/5 Arthurlie 4 - 2 Albion Rovers SFL2
1925/8/29 Alloa Athletic 1 - 2 Arthurlie SFL2
1925/8/22 Arthurlie 1 - 2 Third Lanark SFL2
1925/8/15 Armadale 2 - 2 Arthurlie SFL2
(Sources: London Hearts for the SFL Division Two and the Scottish Cup; Scottish Football Historical Archive for the Renfrewshire Cup)