1997–98 in Scottish football

Sportseason of a football competition

1997–98 in Scottish football

Premier League champions
Celtic
Division One champions
Dundee
Division Two champions
Stranraer
Division Three champions
Alloa Athletic
Scottish Cup winners
Heart of Midlothian
League Cup winners
Celtic
Challenge Cup winners
Falkirk
Junior Cup winners
Arthurlie
Teams in Europe
Celtic, Dundee United, Kilmarnock, Rangers
Scotland national team
1998 World Cup qualification, 1998 World Cup
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

The 1997–98 season was the 101st season of competitive football in Scotland. Celtic won the Premier Division championship, preventing rivals Rangers from winning a record 10th successive championship. [1]

## Scottish Premier Division

[edit]

Main article: 1997–98 Scottish Premier Division

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Celtic (C) | 36  | 22  | 8  | 6  | 64  | 24  | +40  | 74  | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round
2  | Rangers | 36  | 21  | 9  | 6  | 76  | 38  | +38  | 72  | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round
3  | Heart of Midlothian | 36  | 19  | 10  | 7  | 70  | 46  | +24  | 67  | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round
4  | Kilmarnock | 36  | 13  | 11  | 12  | 40  | 52  | −12  | 50  | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round
5  | St Johnstone | 36  | 13  | 9  | 14  | 38  | 42  | −4  | 48  |
6  | Aberdeen | 36  | 9  | 12  | 15  | 39  | 53  | −14  | 39
7  | Dundee United | 36  | 8  | 13  | 15  | 43  | 51  | −8  | 37
8  | Dunfermline Athletic | 36  | 8  | 13  | 15  | 43  | 68  | −25  | 37
9  | Motherwell | 36  | 9  | 7  | 20  | 46  | 64  | −18  | 34
10  | Hibernian (R) | 36  | 6  | 12  | 18  | 38  | 59  | −21  | 30  | Relegation to the First Division

Source: Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

### Top scorers

[edit]

Player | Goals | Team

|
|

Marco Negri | 32 | Rangers
Kjell Olofsson | 18 | Dundee United
Henrik Larsson | 16 | Celtic
Andy Smith | Dunfermline Athletic
Tommy Coyne | 14 | Motherwell
Jim Hamilton | Heart of Midlothian
Owen Coyle | 11 | Motherwell
Jörg Albertz | 10 | Rangers
Craig Burley | Celtic
Billy Dodds | Aberdeen
Simon Donnelly | Celtic
Neil McCann | Heart of Midlothian
George O'Boyle | St Johnstone
Paul Wright | Kilmarnock

Source: Soccerbot

## Scottish League Division One

[edit]

Main article: 1997–98 Scottish First Division

### Table

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Dundee (C, P) | 36  | 20  | 10  | 6  | 52  | 24  | +28  | 70  | Promotion to the Premier League
2  | Falkirk | 36  | 19  | 8  | 9  | 56  | 41  | +15  | 65  |
3  | Raith Rovers | 36  | 17  | 9  | 10  | 51  | 33  | +18  | 60
4  | Airdrieonians | 36  | 16  | 12  | 8  | 42  | 35  | +7  | 60
5  | Greenock Morton | 36  | 12  | 10  | 14  | 40  | 47  | −7  | 46
6  | St Mirren | 36  | 11  | 8  | 17  | 41  | 53  | −12  | 41
7  | Ayr United | 36  | 10  | 10  | 16  | 40  | 56  | −16  | 40
8  | Hamilton Academical | 36  | 9  | 11  | 16  | 43  | 56  | −13  | 38
9  | Partick Thistle (R) | 36  | 8  | 12  | 16  | 45  | 55  | −10  | 36  | Relegation to the Second Division
10  | Stirling Albion (R) | 36  | 8  | 10  | 18  | 40  | 56  | −16  | 34

Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

### Top scorers

[edit]

P  | Name  | Goals

|
|

1  |  James Grady (Dundee)  | 15
2  |  Alex Bone (Stirling Albion)  | 13
3  |  Eddie Annand (Dundee)  | 12
=  |  Brian McPhee (Airdrieonians)  | 12
=  |  David Moss (Falkirk)  | 12
6  |  Stephen Cooper (Airdrieonians)  | 11
7  |  Laurent D'Jaffo (Ayr United)  | 10
=  |  Paul Hartley (Raith Rovers)  | 10
=  |  Warren Hawke (Morton)  | 10
=  |  Marino Keith (Falkirk)  | 10

## Scottish League Division Two

[edit]

Main article: 1997–98 Scottish Second Division

### Table

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Stranraer (C, P) | 36  | 18  | 7  | 11  | 62  | 44  | +18  | 61  | Promotion to the First Division
2  | Clydebank (P) | 36  | 16  | 12  | 8  | 48  | 31  | +17  | 60
3  | Livingston | 36  | 16  | 11  | 9  | 56  | 40  | +16  | 59  |
4  | Queen of the South | 36  | 15  | 9  | 12  | 57  | 51  | +6  | 54
5  | Inverness CT | 36  | 13  | 10  | 13  | 65  | 51  | +14  | 49
6  | East Fife | 36  | 14  | 6  | 16  | 51  | 59  | −8  | 48
7  | Forfar Athletic | 36  | 12  | 10  | 14  | 51  | 61  | −10  | 46
8  | Clyde | 36  | 10  | 12  | 14  | 40  | 53  | −13  | 42
9  | Stenhousemuir (R) | 36  | 10  | 10  | 16  | 44  | 53  | −9  | 40  | Relegation to the Third Division
10  | Brechin City (R) | 36  | 7  | 11  | 18  | 42  | 73  | −31  | 32

Source: "1997-1998 Second Division - SPFL Archive". SPFL (in Malay). Retrieved 29 April 2021.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

### Top scorers

[edit]

P  | Name  | Goals

|
|

1  |  Iain Stewart (Inverness CT)  | 16
2  |  Graham Harvey (Livingston)  | 15
=  |  Ian Little (Stenhousemuir)  | 15
4  |  Martin McLauchan (Forfar Athletic)  | 14
5  |  Colin McDonald (Clydebank)  | 13
=  |  B Thomson (Inverness CT)  | 13
7  |  Ben Honeyman (Forfar Athletic)  | 12
8  |  Tommy Bryce (Queen of the South)  | 11
=  |  Matthew Dyer (East Fife)  | 11
=  |  Gordon Young (Stranraer)  | 11

## Scottish League Division Three

[edit]

Main article: 1997–98 Scottish Third Division

### Table

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Alloa Athletic (C, P) | 36  | 24  | 4  | 8  | 78  | 39  | +39  | 76  | Promotion to the Second Division
2  | Arbroath (P) | 36  | 20  | 8  | 8  | 67  | 39  | +28  | 68
3  | Ross County | 36  | 19  | 10  | 7  | 71  | 36  | +35  | 67  |
4  | East Stirlingshire | 36  | 17  | 6  | 13  | 50  | 48  | +2  | 57
5  | Albion Rovers | 36  | 13  | 5  | 18  | 60  | 73  | −13  | 44
6  | Berwick Rangers | 36  | 10  | 12  | 14  | 47  | 55  | −8  | 42
7  | Queen's Park | 36  | 10  | 11  | 15  | 42  | 55  | −13  | 41
8  | Cowdenbeath | 36  | 12  | 2  | 22  | 33  | 57  | −24  | 38
9  | Montrose | 36  | 10  | 8  | 18  | 53  | 80  | −27  | 38
10  | Dumbarton | 36  | 7  | 10  | 19  | 42  | 61  | −19  | 31

Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

### Top scorers

[edit]

Pos | Player  | Club  | Goals

|
|
|

1  |  Colin McGlashan | Montrose | 20
2  |  Willie Irvine | Alloa Athletic | 18
3  |  Billy Spence  | Arbroath | 16
4  |  Derek Adams | Ross County | 15
5  |  Willie Watters  | Albion Rovers | 13
Davie Watt  | East Stirlingshire
7  |  Paul Forrester  | Berwick Rangers | 10
Lee Gardner | Albion Rovers
Brian Grant  | Arbroath
Colin McKinnon  | Dumbarton

## Other honours

[edit]

### Cup honours

[edit]

Competition  | Winner  | Score  | Runner-up  | Report

|
|
|
|

Scottish Cup 1997–98 | Heart of Midlothian | 2 – 1  | Rangers | Wikipedia article
League Cup 1997–98 | Celtic | 3 – 0  | Dundee United | Wikipedia article
Challenge Cup 1997–98 | Falkirk | 1 – 0  | Queen of the South | Wikipedia article
Youth Cup | Heart of Midlothian | 2 – 0  | Dundee United |
Junior Cup | Arthurlie | 4 – 0  | Pollok |

### Individual honours

[edit]

#### SPFA awards

[edit]

Award  | Winner  | Club

|
|

Players' Player of the Year |  Jackie McNamara | Celtic
Young Player of the Year |  Gary Naysmith | Heart of Midlothian

#### SFWA awards

[edit]

Award  | Winner  | Club

|
|

Footballer of the Year |  Craig Burley | Celtic
Young Player of the Year |  Henrik Larsson | Celtic
Manager of the Year |  Wim Jansen | Celtic

## Scottish clubs in Europe

[edit]

Club  | Competition(s)  | Final round  | Coef.

|
|
|

Rangers | UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League | Second qualifying round
First round | 2.50
Kilmarnock | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | First round | 2.50
Celtic | UEFA Europa League | First round | 5.00
Dundee United | UEFA Europa League | Second qualifying round | 2.50

Average coefficient – 3.125

## Scotland national team

[edit]

Main article: Scotland national football team 1980–1999 results

Date  | Venue  | Opponents  | Score[2] | Competition  | Scotland scorer(s)

|
|
|
|
|

7 September  | Pittodrie, Aberdeen (H)  |  Belarus | 4–1  | WCQG4 | Kevin Gallacher (2), David Hopkin (2)
11 October  | Celtic Park, Glasgow (H)  |  Latvia | 2–0  | WCQG4 | Kevin Gallacher, Gordon Durie
12 November  | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, St Etienne (A)  |  France | 1–2  | Friendly | Gordon Durie
25 March  | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)  |  Denmark | 0–1  | Friendly |
22 April  | Easter Road, Edinburgh (H)  |  Finland | 1–1  | Friendly | Darren Jackson
23 May  | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford NJ (A)  |  Colombia | 2–2  | Friendly | John Collins, Craig Burley
30 May  | RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington DC (A)  |  USA | 0–0  | Friendly |
10 June  | Stade de France, Saint-Denis (N)  |  Brazil | 1–2  | WCGA | John Collins (pen.)
16 June  | Stade Lescure, Bordeaux (N)  |  Norway | 1–1  | WCGA | Craig Burley
23 June  | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, St Etienne (N)  |  Morocco | 0–3  | WCGA |

Key:

* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* WCQG4 = World Cup qualifying – Group 4
* WCGA = World Cup – Group A

## Notable events

[edit]

* After the end of the season, the 10 Premier Division clubs formed a breakaway Scottish Premier League similar to the one formed in England six years earlier.
* Celtic won the Premier Division title after nine successive title wins by Rangers.
* Walter Smith resigned as manager of Rangers after seven years to be succeeded by Dutchman Dick Advocaat.
* Rangers lost the Scottish Cup final 2–1 to Hearts, leaving them without a major trophy for the first time since 1986.
* Paul Gascoigne left Rangers in March to return to England in a £3.4million move to Middlesbrough.
* Ally McCoist left Rangers after 15 years and more than 300 goals to sign for Kilmarnock on a free transfer.
* Goalkeeper Andy Goram left Rangers after seven years, having just walked out of the Scotland squad for the World Cup in France.
* Also leaving Rangers after seven years was Stuart McCall, who moved to England and signed for Bradford City.
* After signing from Perugia in a £3.5million deal at the start of the season, Italian striker Marco Negri had a dream start to his career at Rangers – scoring 23 goals in his first 10 league games. However, after playing 27 league games and scoring 32 goals, his season was ended by a serious eye injury off the field in March.
* Brian Laudrup ended his four-year spell with Rangers and signed for Chelsea at the end of the season.

## Notes and references

[edit]

1. ^ "1997/98 - The Scottish Football League". Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
2. ^ Scotland's score is shown first.

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* v
* t
* e

1997–98 in Scottish football

« 1996–97

1998–99 »

Domestic leagues|

* Football League
* Premier Division
* First Division
* Second Division
* Third Division
* Highland League

Domestic cups|

* Scottish Cup
* Final
* League Cup
* Final
* Challenge Cup
* Final
* Junior Cup

European competitions|

* Champions League
* UEFA Cup
* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Related to national team|

* Results
* 1998 World Cup qualifying (Group 4)
* 1998 World Cup

Club seasons

Premier Division|

* Aberdeen
* Celtic
* Dundee United
* Dunfermline Athletic
* Heart of Midlothian
* Hibernian
* Kilmarnock
* Motherwell
* Rangers
* St Johnstone

First Division|

* Airdrieonians
* Ayr United
* Dundee
* Falkirk
* Greenock Morton
* Hamilton Academical
* Partick Thistle
* Raith Rovers
* St. Mirren
* Stirling Albion

Second Division|

* Brechin City
* Clyde
* Clydebank
* East Fife
* Forfar Athletic
* Inverness Caledonian Thistle
* Livingston
* Queen of the South
* Stenhousemuir
* Stranraer

Third Division|

* Albion Rovers
* Alloa Athletic
* Arbroath
* Berwick Rangers
* Cowdenbeath
* Dumbarton
* East Stirlingshire
* Montrose
* Queen's Park
* Ross County

*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points