Camp Morton, Svalbard, offers 24-hour sunlight and state of the art facilities for your summer training needs. Source.
Morton (4th) host Ayr United (10th).
The situation: if Morton lose all of their remaining games, and either Dunfermline or Queen of the South win all of theirs, Morton are out of the playoffs. But Dunfermline have not won three in a row all season, and QoS haven't since September. Morton are on their longest winless streak of the season, but their successes earlier on have left them in a position of strength. Usually at this time of year Morton are the ones clinging to a faint hope.
To reiterate: as soon as Dunfermline and Queen of the South lose or draw, they are out of the playoff hunt.
Ayr need a win to help them get out of the division basement.
Morton's last two home games have each drawn over 4,000 spectators.
Dundee United (3rd) host St Mirren (8th). This puts Morton and St Mirren supporters in the awkward position of wishing each other's team success.
What have been Ayr United's peak performances of the 21st Century?
Scottish Cup semi-final 2001-02
League Cup final 2001-02
League First Division, 2nd place 2000-01
Challenge Cup semi-final 2007-08
What was Ayr United's record against Gretna?
Like Raith, Ayr only ever met Gretna in the 2005-06 Second Division. Gretna took three wins, but Ayr managed a draw.
How is Ayr United like Greenock Morton?
They are both in the west of Scotland. Ayr have never won the Scottish Cup, League Cup or Challenge Cup, against one, none and none for Morton. Somerset Park is quite similar to Cappielow though one of the ends is roofed.
[Morton 1 - 1 Ayr. Morton goal by Shankland. Dunfermline and QoS both lose, so Morton have made the playoffs. Match report. Falkirk and Dundee United both win, so it's very unlikely that Morton will finish in second place. Dunfermline and QoS book their places in next year's Championship, both of them simultaneously avoiding both relegation and promotion.]
It's also the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
Celtic [2 - 0] Rangers
Hibs [2 - 3] Aberdeen
Has this set of four clubs met in the semi-finals before?
1979-80 Rangers vs Aberdeen; Celtic vs Hibs
When was the last time that the four Scottish Cup semi-finalists went on to be the top four finishers in the league?
1995-96 Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts
Was there ever a year when all four semi-finalists were from Glasgow?
1893-94 Rangers, Celtic, Queen's Park, Third Lanark
Four possible Scottish Cup finals can come from this weekend's semi-finals. How often have they occured before?
6 times Celtic/Hibs
6 times Celtic/Aberdeen
6 times Rangers/Aberdeen
2 times Rangers/Hibs
It's the second leg of the Scottish Junior Cup semifinals:
Bonnyrigg Rose [0 - 1] Glenafton Athletic
Auchinleck Talbot [1 - 0] Linlithgow Rose
Linlithgow Rose play at a 3,500-capacity park in a 19,000-person town with a medieval palace. Why haven't they made the move up to senior football? Discuss.
[Glenafton and Auchinleck advance to an all-Ayrshire cup final.]
1898-99. Today in 1899 Morton hosted Ayr Parkhouse and won 2 - 1. (Glasgow and West of Scotland Football League.) Today was also the final of the Scottish Cup. Celtic beat Rangers 2 - 0 at Hampden Park.
Since the establishment of four divisions in 1994, has any division had the same assortment of clubs more than one year?
Premier League/Premiership Yes.*
First Division/Championship No.
Second Division/League One No.
Third Division/League Two Yes.**
*Falkirk were denied promotion at the end of 2002-03, making Premier Division membership the same for both 2002-03 and 2003-04.
**Forfar, Montrose, Ross County, East Stirlingshire, Alloa, Inverness CT, Arbroath, Queen's Park, Cowdenbeath, and Albion Rovers made up the Third Division in both 1994-95 and 1996-97.
How many times has each club made the Premiership split?
17 Celtic
13 Rangers, Hearts
10 Aberdeen
9 Dundee United, Motherwell
7 Hibs
6 St Johnstone
5 Kilmarnock
3 Dundee, Dunfermline, Inverness CT
2 Ross County
1 Livingston, Partick
When have Morton, Celtic, and East Stirlingshire played together in the one division?
1932-33.
What was the last time Morton finished in each position in the table?
1 2014-15 (League One)
2 2012-13 (First Division)
3 2004-05 (Second Division)
4 2003-04 (Second Division)
5 2015-16 (Championship)
6 2008-09 (First Division)
7 2010-11 (First Division)
8 2011-12 (First Division)
9 2000-01 (First Division)
10 2013-14 (Championship)
11 1993-94 (Division One)
12 1987-88 (Premier Division)
13 1971-72 (First Division)
14 1973-74 (First Division)
15 1951-52 (Division A)
16 1930-31 (Division One)
17 1974-75 (First Division)
18 1929-30 (Division One)
19 1960-61 (Second Division)
20 1937-38 (Division One)
21 never
22 never
The Lowland League wraps up today. How did the two university teams fare against each other?
Oct 8, 2016 Stirling U 1 - 0 Edinburgh U
Jan 10, 2017 Edinburgh U 1 - 3 Stirling U
The Highland League also finishes today. [Buckie Thistle beat Strathspey Thistle 9 - 0 to win the league. Buckie will face East Kilbride in the pyramid playoff. Strathspey Thistle finish in 18th place.]
Copa Libertadores, Group B:
Sporting Cristal 0 - 0 The Strongest
Santa Fe 0 - 0 Santos
Swiss Challenge League: Servette [2 - 3] Winterthur
SWFL Division 2 West tomorrow: Westerlands B versus Morton [postponed]
Europa League quarter-finals, second leg:
Genk 1 - 1 Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo advance.
The Lord Lyon has been on the back of Ayr United about their pseudo-heraldic badge, so they replaced it this week with a round one. Source.