2019 Scottish Challenge Cup final explained

2019 Scottish Challenge Cup final
Event:2018–19 Scottish Challenge Cup
Team2:Ross County
Team2score:3
Team1:Connah's Quay Nomads
Team1score:1
Date:23 March 2019
Stadium:Caledonian Stadium
City:Inverness[1]
Referee:Alan Muir[2]
Previous:2018
Next:2020

The 2019 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as the IRN-BRU Cup final for sponsorship reasons, was a football match that took place on 23 March 2019, between Ross County and Connah's Quay Nomads.[3] It was the 28th 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 sixth since the SPFL was formed. Connah's Quay became the first club from outside Scotland to reach the final since the competition was first expanded to include guest teams from other countries in 2016 - 17.[3]

Route to the final

See also: 2018–19 Scottish Challenge Cup. The competition is a knock-out tournament and was contested by 58 teams from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2018–19.[4] Two teams from the English National League (fifth tier) were added to the competition in 2018–19,[5] following the addition of teams from Wales and Northern Ireland in 2016 - 17[6] and the Republic of Ireland in 2017 - 18.

Ross County

--style="text-align:left;margin-left:1em;float:right"-->
width=100Round ! width=220Opposition ! width=80Score
First round Heart of Midlothian U21s (a) 2–1
Second round Raith Rovers (h) 5–0
Third round Montrose (h) 3–1
Quarter-final Motherwell U21s (a) 2–1
Semi-final East Fife (h) 2–1

Connah's Quay Nomads

As one of the guest teams from Wales, Connah's Quay Nomads received a bye to the second round.

--style="text-align:left;margin-left:1em;float:right"-->
width=100Round ! width=160Opposition ! width=80Score
Second round Falkirk (a) 1–0
Third round Coleraine (h) 2–0
Quarter-final Queen's Park (a) 2–1
Semi-final Edinburgh City (h) 1–1
5 - 4

The choice of Inverness as the venue for the final[1] caused some controversy, with the Highland city being only from Ross County's home in Dingwall but a distance of for Connah's Quay Nomads;[7] previous finals had typically been held further south in Scotland's Central Belt.

Match details

width=25!width=25
GK1 John Danby
RB15
CB18 Priestly Farquharson (c)
CB5 George Horan
LB14
CM8 Callum Morris
CM6
LM17 Michael Parker
RM22
FW9 Michael Wilde
FW10
Substitutes:
GK20 Lewis Brass
DF2 John Disney
MF7 Ryan Wignall
MF12 Declan Poole
MF16 James Owen
MF19 Jake Phillips
MF21 Robert Hughes
Manager:
Andy Morrison
width=25!width=25
GK21 Ross Munro
RB2 Marcus Fraser (c)
CB15 Keith Watson
CB12 Andy Boyle
LB28 Kenny van der Weg
RM10
CM8 Jamie Lindsay
CM26
LM7
FW27
FW19
Substitutes:
GK1 Scott Fox
DF3
MF14
MF16
MF24 Harry Paton
MF31
DF44 Tom Grivosti
Manager:
Stuart Kettlewell and Steve Ferguson
Match rules
  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Seven named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Scottish Challenge Cup: Inverness to host final between Ross County and Connah's Quay . BBC Sport . 22 February 2019 . 22 February 2019.
  2. Web site: Alan Muir appointed IRN-BRU Cup final referee . Scottish Football Association . 13 March 2019 . 13 March 2019.
  3. Web site: Connah's Quay Nomads 1–1 Edinburgh City . BBC Sport . 16 February 2019 . 17 February 2019.
  4. Web site: IRN-BRU Cup expanded for 2017/18 . www.spfl.co.uk . Scottish Professional Football League . 7 June 2017 . 22 February 2018.
  5. Web site: Sutton United & Boreham Wood to enter Irn Bru Scottish Challenge Cup . BBC Sport . 8 June 2018 . 17 February 2019.
  6. Web site: Northern Irish and Welsh sides to join top flight U20s in Challenge Cup . www.stv.tv/sport . STV . 8 June 2016 . 22 February 2017.
  7. Web site: Connah's Quay Nomads will play Scottish Challenge Cup final with Ross County in Inverness. . 24 February 2018. 25 February 2019 .