| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Dates | 15 July 2016 – 27 November 2016 |
| Teams | 44 |
| Defending champions | Ross County |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Celtic |
| Runner-up | Aberdeen |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 95 |
| Goals scored | 291 (3.06 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Martyn Waghorn (7 goals)[1] |
The 2016–17 Scottish League Cup (also known as the Betfred Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 71st season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition.
The format for the 2016–17 competition changed from the previously used knockout-rounds. Instead, it began with eight groups of five teams which included all 2015–16 Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs, excluding those competing in Champions League and Europa League qualifiers, as well as the winners of the 2015–16 Highland Football League (Cove Rangers) and the 2015–16 Lowland Football League (Edinburgh City).
Celtic won the final 3–0 against Aberdeen on 27 November 2016.[2]
Schedule
| Round | First match date | Fixtures | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | 16 July 2016[3] | 80 | 44 → 16 |
| Second round | 9 August 2016[4] | 8 | 16 → 8 |
| Quarter finals | 20 September 2016[4] | 4 | 8 → 4 |
| Semifinals | 22 October 2016[4] | 2 | 4 → 2 |
| Final | 27 November 2016[5] | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Format
The competition began with eight groups of five teams. The four clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League (Celtic) and Europa League (Aberdeen, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian) qualifying rounds were given a bye through to the second round. The 40 teams competing in the group stage consisted of the other nine teams that competed in the 2015–16 Scottish Premiership, nine from the 2015–16 Scottish Championship and all of the teams that competed in the 2015–16 Scottish League One and 2015–16 Scottish League Two, as well as the 2015–16 Highland Football League and the 2015–16 Lowland Football League champions.[3]
The winners of each of the 8 groups, as well as the 4 best runners-up have progressed to the second round (last 16), which will include the four UEFA qualifying clubs.[3] At this stage, the competition reverts to the traditional knock-out format.[3] The four group winners with the highest points total and the clubs entering at this stage were seeded, with the four group winners with the lowest points unseeded along with the four best runners-up.
Bonus point system
In December 2015, the SPFL announced that alongside the new group stage format, a bonus point system would be introduced to provide greater excitement and increase the number of meaningful games at this stage.[3] The traditional point system of awarding 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw was used, however, for each group stage match that finished in a draw, a penalty shoot-out took place, with the winner being awarded a bonus point.[3]
Group stage
The group stage was made up of nine teams from the 2015–16 Scottish Premiership, nine teams from the 2015–16 Scottish Championship and 10 teams from each of the 2015–16 Scottish League One and 2015–16 Scottish League Two, as well as the winners of the 2015–16 Highland Football League and 2015–16 Lowland Football League.[3] The 40 teams were divided into two sections: North and South; with each section containing four top seeded teams, four second seeded teams and 12 unseeded teams. Each section was drawn into four groups with each group being made up of 1 top seed, 1 second seed and 3 unseeded sides.[6]
The draw for the group stages took place on Friday 27 May 2016 at 7:30pm BST at the BT Sport Studio in London and was shown live on BT Sport Europe.[7]
North
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PET | EFI | DND | FOR | DUM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peterhead (Q) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 8 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | — | |
| 2 | East Fife | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 8 | 2–1 | — | p1–1 | — | — | ||
| 3 | Dundee | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 7 | — | — | — | 7–0 | 6–2 | ||
| 4 | Forfar Athletic | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 5 | — | 2–0 | — | — | p2–2 | ||
| 5 | Dumbarton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 2 | 3–3p | 0–2 | — | — | — |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | STJ | FAL | STI | BRE | ELG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Johnstone (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 10 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | 3–0 | 4–0 | — | — | |
| 2 | Falkirk | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | — | — | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Stirling Albion | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 6 | — | 1–0 | — | — | 4–1 | ||
| 4 | Brechin City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 5 | p1–1 | — | 2–1 | — | — | ||
| 5 | Elgin City | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 3 | 1–3 | — | — | 4–2 | — |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ICT | DUN | DNF | COW | ARB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inverness CT (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 10 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | 1–1p | — | — | 7–0 | |
| 2 | Dundee United (Q) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 10 | — | — | 2–0 | 6–1 | — | ||
| 3 | Dunfermline Athletic | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1–5 | — | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Cowdenbeath | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 3 | 1–2 | — | 0–3 | — | — | ||
| 5 | Arbroath | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 1 | — | 1–1p | — | 0–2 | — |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ALL | RAI | ROS | COV | MON | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alloa Athletic (Q) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 12 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | — | 3–2 | 4–0 | — | |
| 2 | Raith Rovers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 8 | 0–1 | — | — | — | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Ross County | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 7 | — | 1–1p | — | 7–0 | — | ||
| 4 | Cove Rangers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 3 | — | 1–2 | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 5 | Montrose | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | — | — |
South
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PAR | QOS | AIR | QPA | STE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Partick Thistle (Q) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 12 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | — | |
| 2 | Queen of the South (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Airdrieonians | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 5 | 0–1 | — | — | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Queen's Park | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 | — | 0–2 | p3–3 | — | — | ||
| 5 | Stenhousemuir | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 | 1–4 | — | — | 0–2 | — |
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RAN | MOT | STR | ANN | EST | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers (Q) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 12 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | — | |
| 2 | Motherwell (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 9 | 0–2 | — | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Stranraer | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | — | 0–3 | — | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Annan Athletic | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | — | 1–3 | 1–2 | — | — | ||
| 5 | East Stirlingshire | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 | 0–3 | — | — | 0–2 | — |
Group G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HAM | AYR | STM | LIV | EDI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton Academical (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 9 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | — | |
| 2 | Ayr United (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 9 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | St Mirren | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | — | 1–0 | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Livingston | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 | — | 0–2 | 2–3 | — | — | ||
| 5 | Edinburgh City | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0 | 2–4 | — | — | 0–3 | — |
Group H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GMO | KIL | CLY | ALB | BER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morton (Q) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 11 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | — | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Kilmarnock | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0–2 | — | — | 0–0p | — | ||
| 3 | Clyde | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 5 | — | 1–2 | — | — | p1–1 | ||
| 4 | Albion Rovers | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 5 | 0–0p | — | 1–2 | — | — | ||
| 5 | Berwick Rangers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 2 | — | 2–3 | — | 0–0p | — |
Best runners-up
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundee United (Q) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 10 | Qualification to the Second Round |
| 2 | Motherwell (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 9 | |
| 3 | Queen of the South (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | |
| 4 | Ayr United (Q) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 9 | |
| 5 | Raith Rovers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 8 | |
| 6 | East Fife | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 8 | |
| 7 | Kilmarnock | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| 8 | Falkirk | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 |
Knockout phase
Second round
Draw and seeding
The following teams qualified and will compete in the second round of the 2016–17 Scottish League Cup. Aberdeen, Celtic, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian entered the competition at this stage, after receiving a bye for the group stage due to their participation in UEFA club competitions.
The draw for the second round took place at Tannadice Park following the conclusion of the Dundee United–Dunfermline Athletic match on 31 July, and was shown live on BT Sport. The four UEFA-qualifying clubs and the four group winners with the best record were seeded for the draw.[9]
Teams in Bold advanced to the quarter-finals.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
- Notes
- † denotes teams playing in the Championship.
- * denotes team playing in League One.
Matches
| 9 August 2016 | Alloa Athletic | 1–0 | Inverness CT | Alloa |
| 19:30 | Marr  28' |
SPFL Report | Stadium: Recreation Park Attendance: 613 Referee: Don Robertson |
| 9 August 2016 | Rangers | 5–0 | Peterhead | Glasgow |
| 19:45 | Kranjčar 19' Hill 35', 56'Kelleher 48' (o.g.)Dodoo 65' |
SPFL Report | Blockley  55' |
Stadium: Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 27,076 Referee: Andrew Dallas |
| 9 August 2016 | Dundee United | 3–1 | Partick Thistle | Dundee |
| 19:45 | C Smith 10', 27', 30' (pen.) |
SPFL Report | Welsh 65' |
Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 5,036 Referee: Steven McLean |
| 9 August 2016 | Hamilton Academical | 1–2 | Morton | Hamilton |
| 19:45 | Imrie 8' (pen.) |
SPFL Report | Forbes 59' Quitongo 63' |
Stadium: New Douglas Park Referee: Stephen Finnie |
| 9 August 2016 | Hibernian | 1–3 | Queen of the South | Edinburgh |
| 19:45 | Hanlon 22' |
SPFL Report | Dobbie 66' Anderson 82'Dykes 86' |
Stadium: Easter Road Attendance: 7,646 Referee: Euan Anderson |
| 10 August 2016 | Celtic | 5–0 | Motherwell | Glasgow |
| 19:45 | Rogic 20', 76' Dembélé 34' (pen.), 64'Sinclair 61' |
SPFL Report | Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 20,165 Referee: Kevin Clancy |
| 10 August 2016 | St Johnstone | 3–2 | Heart of Midlothian | Perth |
| 19:45 | Swanson 10', 75' (pen.) McKay 80' |
SPFL Report | Paterson 43' Walker 45+2' (pen.) |
Stadium: McDiarmid Park Attendance: 4,214 Referee: Crawford Allan |
| 10 August 2016 | Ayr United | 1–2 | Aberdeen | Ayr |
| 19:45 | Forrest 41' |
SPFL Report | Meggatt 3' (o.g.) McGinn 30' |
Stadium: Somerset Park Attendance: 2,653 Referee: Alan Muir |
Quarter-finals
Draw and seeding
The quarter-final draw took place at Celtic Park following the conclusion of the Celtic–Motherwell match on 10 August, and was shown live on BT Sport. The draw was unseeded and ties scheduled for the midweek of 20/21 September.[10]
Teams in Bold advanced to the semi-finals.
| Premiership | Championship | League One |
|---|---|---|
Matches
| 20 September 2016 | Morton | 2–1 | Dundee United | Greenock |
| 19:45 | Quitongo 24' O'Ware 31' |
SPFL Report | van der Velden 55' |
Stadium: Cappielow Attendance: 2,149 Referee: Andrew Dallas |
| 20 September 2016 | Rangers | 5–0 | Queen of the South | Glasgow |
| 19:45 | Holt 33' Halliday 62'Waghorn 63', 71', 83' |
SPFL Report | Stadium: Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 26,079 Referee: Don Robertson |
| 21 September 2016 | Celtic | 2–0 | Alloa Athletic | Glasgow |
| 19:45 | Forrest 83' Dembélé 90' |
SPFL Report | Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 15,900 Referee: Alan Muir |
| 22 September 2016 | Aberdeen | 1–0 | St Johnstone | Aberdeen |
| 19:45 | Rooney 90' |
SPFL Report | Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 8,829 Referee: Craig Thomson |
Semi-finals
Draw and seeding
The semi-final draw took place at Pittodrie Stadium following the conclusion of the Aberdeen–St Johnstone match on 22 September and was shown live on BT Sport. The draw was unseeded and ties are scheduled for the weekend of 22 October.[4][11]
Teams in Bold advanced to the final.
| Premiership | Championship |
|---|---|
Matches
| 22 October 2016 | Morton | 0–2 | Aberdeen | Glasgow |
| 12:15 | SPFL Report | Rooney 69' McLean 88' |
Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 16,183 Referee: Kevin Clancy |
| 23 October 2016 | Rangers | 0–1 | Celtic | Glasgow |
| 14:15 | BBC Report | Dembélé 87' |
Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 50,697 Referee: Craig Thomson |
Final
Top goalscorers
- As of matches played on 23 October 2016[1]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Martyn Waghorn |
Rangers | 7 |
| 2 |  Brian Graham |
Ross County | 6 |
| Greg Stewart |
Dundee | ||
| 4 |  Moussa Dembélé |
Celtic | 5 |
| Danny Swanson |
St Johnstone | ||
| 6 | Scott Boden |
Inverness CT | 4 |
| Andy Geggan |
Dunfermline Athletic | ||
| Blair Henderson |
Stirling Albion | ||
| Rory McAllister |
Peterhead | ||
| Simon Murray |
Dundee United | ||
| Jai Quitongo |
Morton | ||
| Cammy Smith |
Dundee United | ||
| Iain Vigurs |
Inverness CT |
References
- 1 2 "2016 Scottish League Cup scorers". ESPN. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ↑ English, Tom (27 November 2016). "Scottish League Cup final: Aberdeen 0-3 Celtic". BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "New League Cup format and TV deal". SPFL. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 "Betfred Cup group stage fixtures". SPFL. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ↑ "2016/17 League Cup Final in November". SPFL. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ↑ "Betfred Cup draw format & numbers". SPFL. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ↑ "Betfred Cup draw live on BT Sport". SPFL. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ↑ "Betfred Cup Format 2016/17". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "Betfred Cup 2nd-round draw on Sunday". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ↑ "Betfred Cup quarter-final draw details". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ "Betfred Cup semi-final draw tonight". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.