The 2021–22 Scottish Championship (known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of the Scottish Championship, the second tier of Scottish football. The season began on 31 July.
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 31 July 2021 – 29 April 2022 |
| Champions | Kilmarnock |
| Promoted | Kilmarnock |
| Relegated | Dunfermline Athletic Queen of the South |
| Matches played | 180 |
| Goals scored | 432 (2.4 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Michael McKenna (15 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Greenock Morton 5–0 Dunfermline Athletic (8 January 2022) |
| Biggest away win | Hamilton Academical 1–6 Partick Thistle (15 October 2021) Greenock Morton 1–6 Inverness CT (11 December 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Raith Rovers 4–4 Hamilton Academical (31 July 2021) |
| Longest winning run | Inverness CT 5 games |
| Longest unbeaten run | Raith Rovers 13 games |
| Longest winless run | Dunfermline Athletic 13 games |
| Longest losing run | Queen of the South 6 games |
| Highest attendance | 11,500 Kilmarnock 2–1 Arbroath (22 April 2022) |
| Lowest attendance | 197 Queen of the South 0–3 Hamilton Academical (2 January 2022) |
← 2020–21 2022–23 →
All statistics correct as of 29 April 2022. | |
Ten teams contested the league: Arbroath, Ayr United, Dunfermline Athletic, Greenock Morton, Hamilton Academical, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Queen of the South and Raith Rovers.
Teams
editThe following teams changed division after the 2020–21 season.
To Championship
editPromoted from League One
Relegated from the Premiership
From Championship
editRelegated to League One
Promoted to the Premiership
Stadia and locations
edit| Arbroath | Ayr United | Dunfermline Athletic | Greenock Morton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gayfield Park | Somerset Park | East End Park | Cappielow |
| Capacity: 6,600[1] | Capacity: 10,185[2] | Capacity: 11,480[3] | Capacity: 11,589[4] |
|
|
|
|
| Hamilton Academical |
 Location of teams in 2021–22 Scottish Championship |
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | |
| New Douglas Park | Caledonian Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 6,018[5] | Capacity: 7,750[6] | ||
|
| ||
| Kilmarnock | Partick Thistle | Queen of the South | Raith Rovers |
| Rugby Park | Firhill Stadium | Palmerston Park | Stark's Park |
| Capacity: 17,889[7] | Capacity: 10,102[8] | Capacity: 8,690[9] | Capacity: 8,867[10] |
|
|
|
|
Personnel and kits
edit| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbroath |  Dick Campbell
|
Thomas O'Brien
|
Macron | Megatech[11] |
| Ayr United | Lee Bullen
|
 Sean McGinty
|
Hummel[12] | Bitcoin BCH[13] |
| Dunfermline Athletic | John Hughes
|
Graham Dorrans
|
Joma[14] | SRJ Windows[14] |
| Greenock Morton | Dougie Imrie
|
 Kyle Jacobs
|
est 1874 | McGill's |
| Hamilton Academical | Stuart Taylor
|
Brian Easton
|
Adidas | Cullen[15] |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Billy Dodds
|
Sean Welsh
|
Puma[16] | ILI Group[16] |
| Kilmarnock | Derek McInnes
|
 Chris Stokes
|
Hummel[17] | Brownings The Bakers[18] |
| Partick Thistle | Ian McCall
|
Ross Docherty
|
O'Neills | Just Employment Law[19] |
| Queen of the South | Willie Gibson
|
Josh Todd
|
Macron[20] | Rosefield Salvage[21] |
| Raith Rovers | John McGlynn
|
Kyle Benedictus
|
Joma[22] | valmcdermid.com[22](Home) TAG (Away) |
Managerial changes
edit| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Neil McCann
|
End of interim spell | 1 May 2021 | Pre-season | Billy Dodds
|
1 June 2021 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Stevie Crawford
|
Resigned | 18 May 2021 | Peter Grant
|
28 May 2021 | |
| Hamilton Academical | Brian Rice
|
11 August 2021 | 5th | Stuart Taylor
|
20 August 2021 | |
| Ayr United | David Hopkin
|
9 September 2021 | 9th | Jim Duffy
|
9 September 2021 | |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Peter Grant
|
Sacked | 31 October 2021 | 10th | John Hughes
|
12 November 2021 |
| Greenock Morton | Gus MacPherson
|
4 December 2021 | 8th | Dougie Imrie
|
21 December 2021 | |
| Kilmarnock |  Tommy Wright
|
18 December 2021 | 5th | Derek McInnes
|
4 January 2022 | |
| Ayr United | Jim Duffy
|
20 December 2021 | 8th | Lee Bullen
|
7 January 2022 | |
| Queen of the South | Allan Johnston
|
13 February 2022 | 10th | Willie Gibson
|
13 February 2022 |
League summary
editLeague table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kilmarnock (C, P) | 36 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 50 | 27 | +23 | 67 | Promotion to the Premiership |
| 2 | Arbroath | 36 | 17 | 14 | 5 | 54 | 28 | +26 | 65 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off semi-final |
| 3 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 53 | 34 | +19 | 59 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-final |
| 4 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 46 | 40 | +6 | 52 | |
| 5 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 50 | |
| 6 | Hamilton Academical | 36 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 38 | 53 | −15 | 42 | |
| 7 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 40 | |
| 8 | Ayr United | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 39 | 52 | −13 | 39 | |
| 9 | Dunfermline Athletic (R) | 36 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 35 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 10 | Queen of the South (R) | 36 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 33 | Relegation to League One |
Source: [23][24]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-to head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[25]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-to head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[25]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Positions by round
editThe table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 13, but then postponed and played between rounds 16 and 17, it is added to the standings for round 16.
| Leader and promotion to the Premiership | |
| Qualification for the Premiership play-off semi-final | |
| Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-final | |
| Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-final | |
| Qualification for the Championship play-offs | |
| Relegation to League One |
Source: [23]
Results
editTeams play each other four times, twice in the first half of the season (home and away) and twice in the second half of the season (home and away), making a total of 180 games, with each team playing 36.
First half of season (Matches 1–18)
editSecond half of season (Matches 19–36)
editSeason statistics
editScoring
editTop scorers
edit- As of 29 April 2022
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael McKenna
|
Arbroath | 15 |
| 2 | Oli Shaw
|
Kilmarnock | 14 |
| 3 | Brian Graham
|
Partick Thistle | 13 |
| 4 | Tomi Adeloye
|
Ayr United | 11 |
| 5 | Shane Sutherland
|
Inverness CT | 10 |
Awards
edit| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| August | Billy Dodds
|
Inverness CT | Michael McKenna
|
Arbroath |
| September | Dick Campbell
|
Arbroath | Joel Nouble
|
Arbroath |
| October | John McGlynn
|
Raith Rovers | Oli Shaw
|
Kilmarnock |
| November | Ian McCall
|
Partick Thistle | Ethan Ross
|
Raith Rovers |
| December | Dick Campbell
|
Arbroath | Anton Dowds
|
Arbroath |
| January | Dougie Imrie
|
Greenock Morton | Gavin Reilly
|
Greenock Morton |
| February | Dougie Imrie
|
Greenock Morton | Kyle Lafferty
|
Kilmarnock |
| March | Derek McInnes
|
Kilmarnock | Kyle Lafferty
|
Kilmarnock |
| April | Derek McInnes
|
Kilmarnock | Logan Chalmers
|
Inverness CT |
Championship play-offs
editThe semi-finals will be contested by the teams placed second to fourth in Scottish League One, as well as the team placed ninth in the Scottish Championship. The winners will advance to the final, with the highest-ranked team hosting the second leg.[27]
Bracket
edit| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Dunfermline Athletic | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 4 | Queen's Park | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Airdrieonians | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Queen's Park (a.e.t.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Airdrieonians (a.e.t.) | 0 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2 | Montrose | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
Semi-finals
editFirst leg
edit| 4 May 2022 | Queen's Park | 0–0 | Dunfermline Athletic | Glasgow |
| 19:45 | Stadium: Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,403 Referee: Colin Steven |
| 3 May 2022 | Montrose | 1–0 | Airdrieonians | Montrose |
| 19:45 | Johnston  8' |
Stadium: Links Park Attendance: 1,362 Referee: Graham Grainger |
Second leg
edit| 7 May 2022 | Dunfermline Athletic | 0–1 (0–1 agg.) | Queen's Park | Dunfermline |
| 15:00 | Murray 89' |
Stadium: East End Park Attendance: 3,179 Referee: Craig Napier |
| 7 May 2022 | Airdrieonians | 6–4 (a.e.t.) (6–5 agg.) | Montrose | Airdrie |
| 15:00 | Smith 53', 70', 75' Gallagher 86'Afolabi 105'G.McGill 119' |
Ballantyne 12', 26' Milne 69'Rennie 120' |
Stadium: Excelsior Stadium Attendance: 2,080 Referee: Alan Newlands |
Final
editFirst leg
edit| 12 May 2022 | Queen's Park | 1–1 | Airdrieonians | Glasgow |
| 19:30 | Murray 64' |
McCabe 87' (pen.) |
Stadium: Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,899 Referee: Gavin Duncan |
Second leg
edit| 15 May 2022 | Airdrieonians | 1–2 (a.e.t.) (2–3 agg.) | Queen's Park | Airdrie |
| 13:10 | McCabe 13' |
Smith 17' Murray 112' (pen.) |
Stadium: Excelsior Stadium Attendance: 3,026 Referee: Steven McLean |
References
edit- ^ "Arbroath Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Ayr United Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Dunfermline Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Greenock Morton Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Hamilton Academical Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Kilmarnock Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Partick Thistle Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Queen of the South Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Raith Rovers Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "New strips – sneak peak![sic]". Arbroath FC. 24 June 2017. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ^ "Hummel partner club in record deal". Ayr United FC. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "New sponsor announced". Ayr United F.C. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Away kit launched". Dunfermline Athletic FC. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
- ^ "Hamilton announce fantastic new two year partnership with Cullen". Hamilton Academical FC. 21 July 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ a b "New partners and new kit for season 2020-21". Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "CLUB SIGN CLUB-RECORD KIT DEAL WITH HUMMEL". Kilmarnock FC. 26 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "STORY OF THE SHIRT: 2020/21". Kilmarnock FC. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Just Employment Law backs the Jags for another season". Partick Thistle F.C. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ "Introducing ... 2017/18 kit". Queen of the South F.C. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "QosFC: Shirt Draw". Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
- ^ a b "introducing our 2020-21 home kit". Raith Rovers FC. 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Scottish Championship Table". BBC. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "cinch Championship League Table". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "The Rules of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). SPFL. pp. 38–39. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ a b "cinch Championship League Results". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "SPFL confirms play-off schedule | SPFL". spfl.co.uk.