The 2018 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as the IRN-BRU Cup final for sponsorship reasons, was a football match that took place on 24 March 2018 at McDiarmid Park, between Dumbarton and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.[1] It was the 27th final of the Scottish Challenge Cup since it was first organised in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of the now defunct Scottish Football League, and the fifth since the SPFL was formed. The match was won by Inverness CT 1–0 with a stoppage time winner, marking their second win in the tournament since its inception and their first silverware since the 2014–15 Scottish Cup.
| Event | 2017–18 Scottish Challenge Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 24 March 2018 | ||||||
| Venue | McDiarmid Park, Perth | ||||||
| Referee | Andrew Dallas | ||||||
| Attendance | 4,602 | ||||||
Route to the final
editThe competition is a knock-out tournament and was contested by 56 teams from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2017–18.[2] Two teams from the Republic of Ireland were added to the competition in 2017–18,[2] following the addition of teams from Wales and Northern Ireland in 2016–17.[3]
Those participating were the 30 clubs that played in the 2017–18 Championship, League One and League Two of the Scottish Professional Football League along with the top four teams from the 2016–17 Highland and Lowland Leagues. The top two teams from the 2016–17 Welsh Premier League and 2016–17 NIFL Premiership and the U20s squads of the teams competing in the 2016–17 Premiership were also invited to compete.[2] Bray Wanderers and Sligo Rovers, as the League of Ireland's highest-ranked non-European participants in 2016, were also invited.[2]
Dumbarton
edit| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First round | Rangers Under-20s (h) | 2–1 |
| Second round |  Connah's Quay Nomads (h)
|
2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Third round | Stranraer (h) | 2–1 |
| Quarter-final | Raith Rovers (h) | 2–0 |
| Semi-final | The New Saints (a)
|
2–1 |
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
editInverness received a bye to the second round, as the team that had finished 12th in the 2016–17 Scottish Premiership.
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Second round | Aberdeen Under-20s (a) | 4–2 |
| Third round | Peterhead (h) | 3–0 |
| Quarter-final | Falkirk (h) | 1–0 |
| Semi-final |  Crusaders (h)
|
3–2 |
Match details
edit
         Dumbarton
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     Inverness CT
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Match rules
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References
edit- ^ "McDiarmid Park to host IRN-BRU final". www.spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^ a b c d "IRN-BRU Cup expanded for 2017/18". www.spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^ "Northern Irish and Welsh sides to join top flight U20s in Challenge Cup". www.stv.tv/sport. STV. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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