League Leaders, Loan Deals, and Late Winners: SPFL Matchday 23 Breakdown
After a short hiatus for the Scottish Cup, the Premiership returns this weekend. Here is what to watch for in Matchday 23. Game of the Round – Hearts v Celtic Tynecastle prepares for a massive showdown this Sunday as the league’s top two sides meet for the third time. With the title race heating up, a win for either side could provide a catalyst for the remainder of the season. Hearts have enjoyed back-to-back league victories over the Scottish champions, including an impressive away triumph in December. However, with Cammy Devlin, Beni Baningime, and captain Lawrence Shankland unavailable, injuries could pose problems for the Jambos. Manager Derek McInnes stated this week that it is not all “doom and gloom” for the leaders, with a healthy defence, and the attacking qualities of Alexandros Kyziridis and Claudio Braga, they could yet stretch their lead to nine points at the summit. Martin O’Neill will be the third Celtic manager this season to oppose Hearts, after predecessors Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy. O’Neill continued his unbeaten domestic record from his early-season interim stint, with victories over Dundee United, Falkirk, and Auchinleck Talbot. His side has also bolstered their attacking options by completing the loan signing of Czech striker Tomas Cvancara, and will fancy a crucial three points against a Hearts side whose spine has been ripped. Sunday afternoon should deliver another telling twist in this fascinating title race. Stay up to date with the game on SNN Sports with Mack Kelly. Player to Watch – Lyall Cameron Lyall Cameron’s arrival looked to be smart business from the Rangers board. The promising midfielder had just helped Dundee survive in the Scottish Premiership, with a crucial double at McDiarmid Park. But after crashing down the Ibrox pecking order with only six appearances, the 23-year-old has made a loan switch to join Aberdeen. His latest move got off to the perfect start, with a standout performance in the Scottish Cup against Raith Rovers. After his SPFL tribunal, the midfielder will be eager to secure regular game time in the North East. With a six-match winless run, Saturday’s visit of Livingston is crucial for the Dons, as they aim to edge closer to the top six. Cameron could play a key role in inspiring Aberdeen’s inconsistent season. Team in the Spotlight – Hibernian A 92nd-minute own goal by Miguel Chaiwa was enough to send Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline through to the Scottish Cup last 16. The late blunder knocked Hibernian out and left the travelling fans furious. After the passive performance, many supporters feel their season is already falling apart. Even though Hibs are 5th in the Scottish Premiership, the gap at the top is the real problem. Their city rivals are currently in first place, sitting 15 points clear. David Gray needs to find answers fast to save their season and continue their climb up the table. Things don’t get any easier from here. Hibs now face a tough trip to the Falkirk Stadium to take on a dangerous Bairns side. They have to bounce back from last Saturday’s disaster immediately. If they don’t get a result, pressure will continue to pile.
Fee confirmed for Cameron after tribunal escalation
An SPFL Tribunal have informed Rangers to pay around £400,000 for midfielder Lyall Cameron. The former Dundee midfielder, now on loan at Aberdeen, previously agreed a pre-contract with the Glasgow giants at the beginning of 2025. The clubs’ inability to agree on a compensation package was therefore escalated to the SPFL. Dundee confirmed that the tribunal proceedings have concluded, and outlined in a statement they were “unable to comment further due to the tribunal’s confidentiality clause”. Rangers have 14 days from Tuesday to pay the full fee.
‘It’s costing us big, big points’ – David Martindale
A late header from Alex Gogic rescued a vital point for St Mirren against Livingston, leaving Lions manager Davie Martindale with further VAR frustrations. After a largely uneventful first half, Livingston seized the advantage ten minutes into the second period. Joshua Brenet’s right‑footed cross fell invitingly for Robbie Muirhead, who controlled with his chest before rifling a powerful left‑footed strike in off the post, giving goalkeeper Jerome Prior no chance. The goal sparked rare excitement among the home support, with Livingston having endured a winless league run stretching back to August. Muirhead’s effort looked set to move the side closer to 11th‑placed Kilmarnock. However, St Mirren struck late to deny them. Scott Tanser’s 89th‑minute corner was met by Gogic, whose glanced header found the net. Livingston claimed a foul on Brenet in the buildup, but VAR swiftly dismissed the appeals and the match ended level. Martindale expressed his frustration at full-time. “There’s a big foul on Joshua Brenet, who is marking Alex Gogic. Gogic pulls his arm. And it’s Gogic who scores. “How can that goal be given? I’m really disappointed. I need to stop talking about this, but what do I do? “It’s costing us big, big points in games. “VAR isn’t making the game better. How long have we had it now? You’re still debating penalty decisions. “I know we’ll be stuck with VAR. We need to go full-time, a bank of referees who are full-time. “I know the difference between a part-time football club and full-time football club. Surely by going to full-time from part-time is going to make us better. “For me, it’s a wee bit amateur just now.” St Mirren remain 10th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation place, while Livingston stay three points adrift at the bottom. Martindale’s side must regroup quickly as they prepare for a crucial trip to managerless Aberdeen on Saturday.
Scotland Confirm Two Friendlies for World Cup 2026 Preparation
Scotland will host Japan and Curacao at Barclays Hampden, as part of the squad’s preparation for the World Cup this summer. Hajime Moriyasu’s Japanese side is currently ranked 19th in the FIFA World Rankings, and will face the Scots on Saturday, 28th March (5 pm). They became the first country to qualify for the 2026 tournament after defeating Bahrain in their qualification campaign. Curacao became the smallest nation to qualify for the biggest stage and join Group E alongside Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador. Dick Advocaat’s side will partake in the final Hampden send-off for Scotland, on Saturday, 30th May (1 pm). Scotland manager Steve Clarke was “delighted’ to confirm the news while speaking on the Scotland National Team’s website “Following our normal approach of arranging tough friendly fixtures, we were pleased to secure the visit of Japan, who are in the top 20 of FIFA’s World Rankings. “We’re also looking forward to welcoming Curacao to Glasgow, which should give us a feel for the CONCACAF federation before our game against Haiti. “It will be great to meet up with the squad for the first time since that crazy, momentous night, when they took us back to the World Cup after such a long time. “We can spend the first day reminiscing, but then it’s back to the serious business of preparing for the summer.”
We’ve shown a lot of courage – John McGlynn
John McGlynn lauded his side’s bottle after holding their nerve to defeat Hearts on penalties in the Scottish Cup. Ben Parkinson’s goal and penalty sealed the Bairns’ progression to the 5th round, with McGlynn praising the “brilliant” result at full-time. ‘A huge game to come to the league leaders, it wasn’t the draw we were hoping for, I thought we were miles off it in the first half, Hearts popped the ball about for fun’ ‘We had to make changes at halftime, we had a shape that we didn’t really carry out as well as we should have done, so we changed halfway through the first half, and had to make changes at halftime’ Which worked, we started the second half much better, scored a really good goal and then it’s a matter of trying to hold on.’ ’It was just a matter of battling, I’m delighted to see we’ve shown a lot of courage with the penalties.’ ‘It takes a bit of bottle to go up and strike the penalties in.’ Falkirk announced the signing of Newcastle forward Ben Parkinson last week. McGlynn praised the 20-year-old’s “bravery” in taking the final penalty. ‘He has just come to the club, he went on the other night and wanted to take the last penalty. He showed courage, bravery, we’ve got a player there, the way he’s taken his goal, having that character to go up and put it in.’ ‘It says a lot about him, a lot about our team, we’ve come to the league leaders tonight, and we had to battle, it wasn’t beautiful, we had to dig in, there are many ways to win a football match, and sometimes it’s unfair on penalties.’ ‘We are delighted to be through, can’t wait for the draw tomorrow night and see who we’ve got.’
VAR shouldn’t be getting involved – Derek McInnes after Scottish Cup exit
Derek McInnes suggests that VAR’s decision to rule out Tomas Magnusson’s opening goal was “harsh” following Hearts’ penalty shootout exit to Falkirk in the Scottish Cup. Playing their third game in six days, Elton Kabangu’s missed penalty allowed Ben Parkinson to send the Bairns into the hat for the 5th round. McInnes felt the shootout defeat “stings that little bit more”. ‘There were a lot of people at the start of this week that said to me about prioritising St Mirren over the cup game, and I didn’t like that mentality, I thought we should be prioritising both.’ ‘I think it’s important we are a strong cup team, it’s been a tough week, its took its toll in terms of injuries, suspensions, and the effort put out by the players output from the players’ ‘We started the game really strongly. I thought we would really need to get off to a flying start and impose ourselves in the game, and I thought we were brilliant in that first half hour.’ ‘But we were guilty of not taking enough shots, not working the goalkeeper enough, when you are as dominant as that in the first half hour youve got to make hay, and we didn’t.’ ‘We lose a poor goal, which skews everything; it’s the type of goal we don’t normally lose, but getting done in the wide areas isn’t good enough.’ Hearts had initially taken the lead in the 53rd minute, after Magnusson crashed home from close range. But VAR deemed that the Norwegian used his hand to control the ball, keeping the score level. McInnes was “disappointed” with the intervention. ‘The angle I’ve seen is not definitive that that’s a handball unless VAR have seen it from the main stand side.’ But I don’t think VAR should be getting involved in that. I didn’t see any real motion from Tomas [Magnusson] to gain an advantage; it’s the type of thing that was said VAR wouldn’t be involved in a couple of weeks ago at Hampden with Willie Collum. I thought it was really harsh. Captain Lawrence Shankland was forced off after suffering an injury, whilst the details of the knock remain unclear, McInnes may be without his starman before their table-top showdown with Celtic next week. ‘Not great, we don’t know exactly what he’s done, when it comes to penalties, you want to keep him on for obvious reasons, it doesn’t look good for next week anyway.’ We’ve got 8 days before we play Celtic, we’ll dust ourselves down, well see where we are, well get over the disappointment because that’s the job, and we’ll be ready for them.
Hearts 1-1 Falkirk (4-5 on pens): Parkinson the hero as Bairns progress to 5th round
Hearts 1-1 Falkirk (4-5 penalties) Parkinson (59′) Shankland (85′ pen) Ben Parkinson’s goal and winning penalty sent Falkirk to the 5th round of the Scottish Cup, dumping the league leaders out at Tynecastle. Hearts started brightly, in an otherwise bleak first half. Claudio Braga raced clear of the Falkirk backline in the opening minutes, but scuffed his left-footed striker wide of Scott Bain’s goal. Alexandros Kyziridis produced a world-class goal to break the deadlock against Falkirk in September. He attempted a similar 25-yard strike after collecting Tomas Magnusson’s cross-field ball, but Bain gathered the bobbling effort. Derek McInnes’s side enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening 25 minutes without scoring, to the delight of the large travelling support, who filled most of the Roseburn end. Chances were few and far between for the visitors in the first half. Leon McCann raced towards Alexander Schwolow’s goal on the half-hour mark after picking up a pocket of space. His left-footed strike had power, but was pushed away by the Austrian goalkeeper. The visitors had the final chance of the half when Filip Lissah headed over a Miller freekick. Neither side looked likely to find a goal as Nick Walsh blew his whistle for half-time. McGlynn opted for a triple substitution at the break, including the introduction of Sheffield United loanee Louie Marsh. McInnes kept the same eleven, but looked to have switched Kyziridis to the right flank, in an attempt to penetrate the visiting defence. Magnusson thought he had broken the deadlock in the 53rd minute. The ball broke kindly to the Norwegian following a hopeful long ball, stroking home from close range amidst a sea of Falkirk bodies. But a lengthy VAR check ensued, deeming that the midfielder had controlled the ball with his hand, keeping the scores level. The visiting support cheered the decision and didn’t have long to wait before celebrating again. Substitute Parkinson got across Jordi Altena to tap home Filip Lissah’s low cross in the 58th minute, sending the away allocation into frenzy. The goal galvanised the visitors, and Parkinson should have doubled their advantage after racing clear on goal moments later. But the striker failed to trouble Schwolow, slicing his strike into the Roseburn Stand. With 15 minutes to play, McInnes turned to the latest incomer, Islam Chesnokov, injecting pace into Hearts’ attack. In truth, Bain in the Falkirk goal had enjoyed a quiet second period. The hosts were awarded a lifeline with five minutes to play. Chesnokov made an immediate impact after being hacked in the box by Leon McCann, Shankland powered home the resultant penalty to level proceedings, and set up extra time. A tense extra time period ensued, as both teams wrestled for the winning goal. Miller tested Schwolow with a left-footed strike after finding space on the edge of the box. The low drive looked set to break the net, but the Austrian pushed clear to maintain level proceedings. Spittal went closest for Hearts in the 113th minute with a 25-yard free kick, which dipped narrowly over Bain’s crossbar. Falkirk responded with four minutes to play. McCann marauded into space on the left, his cross broke to substitute Ethan Ross, who blasted from 6 yards towards goal. Schwolow held firm to divert the powerful strike, and Stuart Findlay cleared the danger. Falkirk held their nerve in the penalty shootout, scoring all five of their penalties. Kabangu placed his left-footed strike over Bain’s bar before Parkinson delivered the killer blow. A marathon 120 minutes ended in delight for McGlynn’s determined bunch, for McInnes and Hearts, full focus will shift to their league title charge. Hearts: Schwolow 7 Kent 6 Halkett 7 McCart 6 Milne 6 Altena 6 Magnusson 6 Baningime 7 Kyziridis 6 Braga 5 Shankland 6 Substitutes: Spittal 5 Findlay 5 Kabore 5 Chesnokov 5 Kabangu 3 Forrester 3 Falkirk: Bain 7 McCann 6 Henderson 7 Allan 7 Lissah 7 Cartwright 6 Spencer 7 Yeats 6 Tait 7 Miller 7 Stewart 6 Substitutes: Marsh 5 Wilson 5 Parkinson 6 Adams 4 Ross 3 Graham 2
Glamour Ties, Club Legends, and Pressure Mounting: Scottish Cup 4th Round Breakdown
With the 4th round of the Scottish Cup taking place this weekend, here are the key storylines ahead of an action-packed weekend. Game of the Round – Dunfermline v Hibernian Neil Lennon welcomes his former side to East End Park for an intriguing Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Lennon, who oversaw 122 games at Easter Road and returned the club to the top flight as 2017 Championship winners, will be desperate to upset the odds. His Dunfermline side currently sits 5th in the Championship, three points adrift of the playoffs. Standing in his way is an Hibernian icon, David Gray. The man who ended Hibs’ 114-year Scottish Cup hoodoo with a famous header against Rangers in 2016. With Lennon facing his former side and Gray looking to start another memorable cup run, the storylines alone could make this a classic cup tie. Team Spotlight – Auchinleck Talbot Auchinleck Talbot have secured a massive glamour tie against Celtic this Sunday evening. While the venue has shifted from Beechwood Park to Rugby Park, the sense of occasion remains clear for the fans and long-term manager Tommy Sloan, who has been at the helm since 2003. Talbot’s road to the fourth round has been clinical. Dispatching Haddington, local rivals Cumnock, Gretna, and Dumbarton, netting 13 goals along the way. This marks their first return to this stage since 2022, when they hosted Hearts in a memorable 5-0 defeat. Regardless of the final score, Sunday’s fixture is a financial game-changer that secures the club’s future for years to come. Manager to Watch – Jim Goodwin Dundee United welcome Ayr United to Tannadice in a clash that feels pivotal for Jim Goodwin. After a brutal start to 2026, headlined by a painful derby loss to Dundee and a heavy defeat at the hands of Celtic, Goodwin’s record of just two wins in 13 has left him with zero margin for error. For a club that finished fourth last season and enjoyed a brief stint in the European qualifiers, the current slump is a bitter pill for the Tangerine faithful to swallow. The visitors are a difficult test, Scott Brown’s Ayr United sit 4th in the championship, and have enjoyed a run of 1 defeat in their last 11. For United, victory is crucial to end their dismal run.
“We said at halftime, this can be done” – McInnes
Derek McInnes described his side’s 2-0 victory over St Mirren as “brilliant” as Hearts secured a second 10-man win in three days. His side survived 45 minutes with 10 men to beat Dundee on Sunday afternoon, butMcInnes believes this victory “tops it by a long way”. “We were in trouble. We got the experience on Sunday. We played similarly, although Dundee played a different shape to St Mirren.” “We were still carrying a threat with three at the top of the pitch to try and carry a threat, give us a bit of oxygen, give us a bit of relief. The three lads, Lawrence, Claudio, and Kyzi, carried a fight for us and gave us some good moments, but without scoring the goal.” Beni Baningime’s late challenge on Ronald Idowu gave the Jambos a mountain to climb in the 15th minute, but once more, they rose from the canvas to deliver a crucial victory, maintaining their six-point gap at the summit of the Scottish Premiership. “Beni Baningime, who’s as popular a boy in that dressing room as anybody, is in tears. We had to help him out. We had to dig ourselves out of a bit of trouble.” “With 10 men against a team like St Mirren, it’s not always easy. We thought we had enough encouragement at times, we had a couple of good opportunities, good breaks.” “It’s a great bit of play in the lead-up to Lawrence’s goal where the captain sets the right tone, gets the goal and then we have something to hang on to.” “That’s due to the effort of the lads. We can only set them up. I can only give them the instruction of what’s the best chance to get that clean sheet.” The win maintains their 100% winning start to 2026, keeping three clean sheets in the process. McInnes’ side have another quick turnaround, as they welcome Falkirk to Tynecastle for the Scottish Cup 4th Round on Saturday evening.
“They made me look stupid” – Stephen Robinson
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson admitted his players were given some “home truths” after a flat 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle, leaving his side precariously close to the relegation spots. Hearts have been incredible this season, and Tynecastle is a difficult venue, but Robinson is more frustrated about his team’s energy and the way they approached the match. St Mirren were given a major advantage in the 15th minute, after Beni Baningime was shown red after a late tackle on Roland Idowu. With two disallowed goals, it wasn’t the night for Robinson’s side, as Lawrence Shankland and Tómas Bent Magnússon sealed the win for the Jambos. Now the League Cup Winners are left third bottom, and with Kilmarnock under new management, will it be a fight to escape the playoff spot? Last season, St Mirren finished on 50 points, and as it stands after 22 games played, they have accumulated just 18. Steven Robinson didn’t hold back in his interview with the BBC after the match. He said, “Are they starting to believe the hype and the publicity after the cup win, thinking they’re possibly a little bit better than they are, and they don’t need to work as hard? “How you train is how you play, and some people haven’t trained properly. Some people have moped about a little bit because they weren’t in the team, but have come in and played like that.” “Sometimes players make you look stupid, and certainly they made me look stupid tonight.” A double header with struggling Livingston, could see St Mirren progress in the cup in the first meeting and get back to winning ways in the league in the second visit to The Set Fare Arena, which would be two great results and surely give some much-needed confidence.
