2021-22 marks the centenary of Morton's first Scottish Cup. Source.
The 2021-22 Championship begins. This year is going to be fantastic because supporters are back in the parks, Kilmarnock are in the division so there's the Ayrshire derby, Partick and the world's best mascot Kingsley return, Hamilton Academical, that somewhat more successful version of Greenock Morton, are back, and Morton are still in the division despite being so very very awful all last season.
Today Morton host Dunfermline Athletic. Morton have been cleared to admit 1500 home fans to Cappielow. Can they round up that many?
Dunfermline have not won a game at Cappielow since March 25th, 2017. However, they won three of four games in the League Cup group stage, and will meet Rangers in Round Two. They scored 13 goals, against Morton's 3.
Gozie Ugwu played for Dunfermline in 2014. Robbie Muirhead did likewise in 2018-19. None of the Pars have played for Morton.
Dunfermline Athletic is owned by a German consortium called DAFC Fussball GmbH.
Morton have signed fewer players than any other Championship club this summer.
Today's starting lineup is: [Hamilton, Ledger, Strapp, Jacobs, Oliver, Blues, Muirhead, Ugwu, Hynes, McGregor, Lithgow.]
Compare last year: McAdams, Fjortoft, McLean, McGinty, Muirhead, Jacobs, McAlister, Salkeld, McPake, Nesbitt, Orsi.
Willie Collum is referee.
[Morton 2 - 2 Dunfermline. Morton goals by Oliver and McGrattan.]
The other Championship matches:
Arbroath [0 - 1] Inverness CT
Partick Thistle [3 - 2] Queen of the South
Raith Rovers [4 - 4] Hamilton Accies
[That's the first time these two have played each other to a 4 - 4 draw.]
Kilmarnock vs Ayr United (August 2)
This is the first Ayrshire derby in four years.
The 2021-22 Championship has five 10,000+ spectator stadiums: Rugby Park (17,889), Cappielow (11,589), East End Park (11,480), Somerset Park (10,185) and Firhill (10,102).
Developments:
St Mirren FC is now fan-owned.
Fort William's ground Claggan Park has been ruled unfit for use by the Highland League, and as a consequence all of Fort William's league and cup games this season will be played at the opponent's ground.
Dalbeattie Star are top of the Lowland League.
Video:
Plenty of Nothing's objectives for Morton in 2021-22:
1) Beat Kilmarnock.
2) Finish higher than Ayr United.
3) Finish higher than Queen of the South.
4) Score on Raith.
5) Score on Arbroath.
6) Score on Aberdeen.
7) Play Cove Rangers.
8) Play Kelty Hearts.
9) Reach the semi-finals of any cup.
10) Set a club record for scoreless draws.
Which clubs are in the 2021-22 Championship, and when did they know for sure?
April 23 Queen of the South
April 23 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
April 29 Partick Thistle
April 30 Arbroath
April 30 Ayr United
May 8 Dunfermline Athletic
May 15 Raith Rovers
May 16 Hamilton Academical
May 21 Greenock Morton
May 24 Kilmarnock
When did they last join the division and was it from above or below?
2021 Kilmarnock (above)
2021 Hamilton Academical (above)
2021 Partick Thistle (below)
2020 Raith Rovers (below)
2019 Arbroath (below)
2018 Ayr United (below)
2017 Inverness CT (above)
2016 Dunfermline (below)
2015 Morton (below)
2013 QoS (below)
In which divisions have the 2021-22 Championship clubs played since 1994?
Kilmarnock AAAAAA AAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAA AB
Inverness CT DDDCCB BBBBAAAAAB AAAAAAABBB BB
Dunfermline BBAAAB AAAAAAABBB BABCCCBBBB BB
Hamilton BBCBBC DCCCBBBBAA ABBBAAAAAA AB
Partick AABBCC CBAABCBBBB BBBAAAAABB CB
Raith Rovers BAABBB BBCBBCCCCB BBBBBBBCCC BB
Morton CBBBBB BCDCCCCBBB BBBBCBBBBB BB
QoS CCCCCC CCBBBBBBBB BBCBBBBBBB BB
Ayr Utd BCCBBB BBBBCCCCCB CBCCCCBCBB BB
Arbroath DDDDCC CBBCCDDDCC DCCCDDDCCB BB
(A = tier I; B = tier II; etc.)
The big clubs continue to rotate through the Championship:
2014-15 Hearts, Hibs, Rangers
2015-16 Rangers, Hibs
2016-17 Hibs, Dundee United
2017-18 Dundee United
2018-19 Dundee United
2019-20 Dundee United
2020-21 Hearts
2021-22 Kilmarnock
How many goals must a team score on opening day to start the season in first place?
2020/10/17 6 Hearts
2019/8/3 4 Dundee United
2018/8/4 2 Ayr United
2017/8/5 4 Queen of the South
2016/8/6 2 Raith Rovers
2015/8/8 3 Raith Rovers
Recent years that Morton finished Day One in first place:
2013 Morton were alone in first place.
2003 Morton were alone in first place.
1983 Morton were alone in first place.
Recent years that Morton finished Day One in last place:
2014 Morton and Airdrie were tied for last place with a -1 gd.
2009 Morton and Dunfermline were tied for last place with a -1 gd.
2000 Morton and Airdrie were tied for last place with a -2 gd.
1990 Morton and Brechin were tied for last place with a -4 gd.
1989 Morton and Livi were tied for last place with a -2 gd.
1988 Morton were alone in last place.
1987 Morton were alone in last place.
Other matches:
Kelty Hearts [2 - 0] Cowdenbeath
Thomas O'Ware (Morton 2011-18) has signed with Kelty.
Cork City 1 - 1 UCD (last night)
Faroes: B36 3 - 0 TB (July 28)
Daegu vs Pohang Steelers (tomorrow)
Tohoku Div 1: Dogizaka vs Primeiro Fukushima (tomorrow) (September 26)
TPS 2 - 2 MP MIkkeli (yesterday)
Cumbernauld United 0 - 4 Largs Thistle (July 28)
Largs Thistle [1 - 2] Cumnock Juniors
East Kilbride 1 - 1 Caledonian Braves (July 27)
The man of the match receives a bottle of whisky. Photo.
East Kilbride [0 - 1] Civil Service Strollers
Celtic B vs Rangers B (postponed)
Clachnacuddin [2 - 5] Huntly
Winterthur 3 - 1 Wil (yesterday)
1.FC Saarbrücken [1 - 2] VfL Osnabrück
Aurora [0 - 1] The Strongest
FC Isle of Man play in the tenth-tier North West Counties League Division One South, which starts today. Let's follow them:
Maine Road [1 - 1] FC Isle of Man
There's a border between England and the Isle of Man, so Covid restrictions could interfere with the schedule.
They're going to complete the 2019-20 South Challenge Cup. One semifinal was played December 27, 201920. The other is today:
Hill of Beath Hawthorn [2 - 4] Dunipace
2021-22 UEFA Champions League 2QR, second leg (July 28):
Midtjylland 2 - 1 Celtic
Celtic drop down to the Europa League.
2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference 2QR, second leg (July 29):
Hacken 2 - 0 Aberdeen
San Coloma 1 - 2 Hibs
Budućnost Podgorica 0 - 2 HB (July 27)
Borac Banja Luca 0 - 0 Linfield
Connah's Quay Nomads 4 - 2 Prishtina
Bodø/Glimt 3 - 0 Valur
FCI Levadia 1 - 2 Dundalk
The New Saints 5 - 1 Kauno Žalgiris
AGF 1 - 1 Larne
Bohemians 3 - 0 F91 Dudelange
Breiðablik 2 - 1 Austria Wien
Rosenborg 4 - 1 FH
Our guys Aberdeen, Hibs, Dundalk, Bohemians, Linfield, Larne, The New Saints and Breiðablik advance. FH and Connah's Quay Nomads are out.
Olympic Women's Soccer, group stage:
Chile 0 - 1 Japan (July 27) Goal by Mina Tanaka.
Canada 1 - 1 Great Britain (July 27) Canadian goal by Adriana Leon.
Quarter-finals:
Sweden 3 - 1 Japan (July 30 in Saitama) Mina Tanaka scores for Japan.
Brazil 0 - 0 Canada (July 30 at Sony Sendai's stadium) Canada win on PK and progress to the semis.
The first round of the 2021-22 North of Scotland Cup was (sort of) played Wednesday:
Forres Mechanics vs Rothes (postponed)
Nairn County 2 - 4 Lossiemouth
Strathspey Thistle wo/scr Golspie Sutherland
The 2020-21 Aberdeenshire Cup final was played Wednesday:
Formartine United 1 - 3 Fraserburgh
Canadian Premier League
With the conclusion of the Kickoff each team has played 8 games, and each has at least 2 wins and 2 losses. Halifax are in seventh place with 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, 4 goals scored (the league lowest) and 8 goals allowed. Akeem Garcia is goalless. The Wanderers' next game is Monday at the Wanderers Grounds.
Members of four teams were threatened with fines by the league after they posed in Professional Footballers Association shirts in Winnipeg. The league has yet to recognize the players' union, and should immediately.
1999-2000
July 31, 1999. It was Round One of the League Cup. Morton had a bye into Round Two by virtue of having finished sixth in the division in 1998-99. Clydebank had finished seventh. Clydebank met East Stirlingshire at Cappielow and lost 1 - 2. David Stewart scored for Clydebank. 69 people attended this match.
The Plenty of Nothing Championship League Cup:
This is the third year of the tournament. The previous results were:
2019-20 No winner
2020-21 No winner
The 2019-20 final was preempted by Covid, after which the two finalists went off to different leagues and did not meet again the next season. The 2020-21 cup successfully finished a 20-game group stage only to run aground on a postponed semi-final game that was not completed until after the final it was supposed to set up, triggering the "no temporal anomalies" rule.
This year's teams are seeded in this order:
1 Kilmarnock
2 Hamilton Academical
3 Raith Rovers
4 Dunfermline Athletic
5 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
6 Queen of the South
7 Arbroath
8 Ayr United
9 Morton
10 Partick Thistle
Round One involves clubs 7, 8, 9 and 10. 7 will play 10, 8 will play 9. The higher club is not guaranteed home field advantage.
New rule: The next round will begin as soon as a fixture becomes available, whether league or cup.
Tie-breakers are: 1) the side with fewer red cards wins, or then 2) the side with fewer yellow cards wins, or then 3) the side with more corner kicks wins, or finally 4) the visitor gets the win. These tie-breakers take precedence over other tie-breakers.
The Round One matches are:
2021/8/21 Arbroath vs Partick
2021/9/25 Ayr United vs Morton