Weekend in numbers

15 – Heart of Midlothian extended their lead at the top of the William Hill Premiership to six points courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen at Tynecastle. Claudio Braga scored the only goal of the game as Derek McInnes’ side took full advantage of Sunday’s draw between Rangers and Celtic. The Jam Tarts are unbeaten in their last 15 home matches against the Dons in all competitions, winning 10 and drawing five – their last defeat was back in May 2017, when McInnes was in the opposing dug-out for a 2-1 Aberdeen win. The last time a club other than Celtic or Rangers had a six-point lead inside the final 10 games of the season was back in 1984/85, when Aberdeen went on to win the league by a seven-point margin.

5 – Falkirk thumped Kilmarnock 5-1 at the Falkirk Stadium to take a massive step closer to a top-six finish in the William Hill Premiership. Doubles from Dylan Tait and Barney Stewart plus an Ethan Schilte-Brown own goal moved John McGlynn’s side 12 points clear of seventh-placed Dundee United. This is the first time the Bairns have scored five goals in a top-flight match since December 2007, when they defeated St Mirren 5-1 in Paisley, and the first time at home since a 5-1 win over Dundee United in October 2006. Falkirk have won all three matches against Killie this season – the last time they beat the Ayrshire side three times in a row was over a century ago, between February 1921 and February 1922.

13 – Ross County defeated Raith Rovers 2-0 at the Global Energy Stadium to boost their hopes of survival in the William Hill Championship. Goals from Jordan White and Uche Ikpeazu handed the Staggies the victory, and although they remain bottom of the table on goal difference, they are now just two points behind eighth-placed Queen’s Park. This was a fifth consecutive home win over Rovers – the last time Raith avoided defeat in Dingwall was a 1-1 draw in a League Cup group stage match in July 2016. County have taken 13 points from their seven league matches since Stuart Kettlewell took over at the start of the year – they had previously only taken 13 from their first 19 games.

3 – Alloa Athletic kept their William Hill League 1 title hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over East Fife at MGM Timber Bayview Stadium. Callum Burnside and Charlie Dewar were on the scoresheet for Andy Graham’s side as they closed the gap on leaders Inverness Caledonian Thistle to six points. The Wasps have been in good form in 2026 – their only defeat this year came away to the league leaders, and they have now won three consecutive league games for the first time since the opening three matches of the season. This was Alloa’s third consecutive win in Methil – their last defeat away to the Fifers was in January 2018.

4 – Spartans cruised to a 4-0 victory over Annan Athletic at The Vanloq Community Stadium to keep things as they were in the race for the William Hill League 2 title. A Marc McNulty hat-trick plus a goal from Mark Stowe kept Dougie Samuel’s side five points behind leaders East Kilbride, but crucially with two games in hand. This was the ninth hat-trick of McNulty’s long career – his first was 14 years ago when he scored three time for Livingston in a 4-0 win over Raith Rovers in the Championship in February 2012. He went on to score three trebles for Livi, one for Portsmouth, two for Coventry City, one for Hibernian then, most recently, one for Australian side St George City against St George Saints in the National Premier League - New South Wales back in July 2025. Spartans are unbeaten in their last five league meetings with the Galabankies – Annan’s last league win over Spartans was a 1-0 win in April 2007 as they pipped Spartans to that league title.