It all comes down to this. It's Judgement Night in the Scottish Championship and EVERY fixture has something on the line.
The second tier is regularly one of the most exciting and competitive leagues in the UK and this season has been no different. Partick Thistle boss Kris Doolan says he's never seen a finale like this one and it is all set to come to a head with a bang. The title is a straight toss-up between Queen's Park and Dundee, four teams will battle it out for the two remaining playoff spots, and three could still be relegated....albeit it would take an almighty swing for Arbroath to plummet straight down.
Heading into the final round of fixtures of the season, nine of the league's ten teams have something major on the line. It's set to be a belter and here's what it all means.
Title decider
Queen's Park vs Dundee
The big one live on BBC Scotland, and the reason this round of fixtures is taking place on a Friday night and not Saturday along with the rest of the country. The final round of fixtures must all be played in tandem so they have all been brought forward in order to let the title decider be televised.
The Dark Blues lead the Spiders by two points, so only need a win or draw for the title and automatic promotion. But Owen Coyle's team have their fate in their own hands as they look for an incredible THIRD successive promotion. Not to be missed.
Promotion playoffs
Raith v Partick Thistle
This is where it gets complicated. If the Jags win, they’re in the play-offs, and would pinch second spot from Queen's Park IF Dundee also win. If they draw, they could lose grip of third spot. But if Raith win, Morton win, and there's a winner of Inverness vs Ayr, Thistle would drop out of the playoffs altogether. Raith meanwhile are marooned in 7th place and can't move.
Inverness v Ayr
If either of these two teams win, they are in the playoffs. However they could both drop out of the top four with a draw, if Morton also win and there is no dramatic goal difference swing in the Partick Thistle game.
Cove v Morton
If Morton win, they would finish on 57 points, which would be enough to finish in the playoffs provided there is a draw in the Inverness vs Ayr game OR Partick Thistle lose to Raith. If The Jags and one of Inverness or Ayr win, Morton cannot be promoted. If Cove win, they’d avoid automatic relegation, but could still finish in the playoffs depending on the result of the relegation shootout in Arbroath. Anything but a win for Paul Hartley's team and they risk automatic relegation.
Relegation shootout
Arbroath v Hamilton
Victory for Arbroath keeps things straight forward. They would be safe, Hamilton would go down, Cove would finish in between them in the playoff spot. A draw though has both looking towards Cove, with one point enough to put Hamilton above them if they lose due to goal difference. Hamilton would need an unlikely 14 goal swing to leapfrog Arbroath, but would be enough to put them ahead of Cove provided they don't beat Morton.
Scottish Championship table as it stands
| MP | GF | GD | Pts | ||
| 1st | Dundee | 35 | 61 | 24 | 60 |
| 2nd | Queen's Park | 35 | 60 | 13 | 58 |
| 3rd | Partick Thistle | 35 | 63 | 20 | 56 |
| 4th | Ayr United | 35 | 59 | 17 | 55 |
| 5th | Inverness CT | 35 | 51 | 6 | 55 |
| 6th | Morton | 35 | 51 | 9 | 54 |
| 7th | Raith Rovers | 35 | 44 | -3 | 42 |
| 8th | Arbroath | 35 | 29 | -18 | 33 |
| 9th | Cove Rangers | 35 | 37 | -36 | 31 |
| 10th | Hamilton Accies | 35 | 31 | -32 | 30 |
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