2023–24 Scottish Junior Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Teams | 112 |
| Defending champions | Cumnock Juniors |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Darvel (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Arthurlie |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 110 |
| Goals scored | 445 (4.05 per match) |
All statistics correct as of 2 June 2024. | |
The 2023–24 Scottish Junior Cup (known as the Clydebuilt Home Improvements Scottish Junior Cup[1] due to sponsorship reasons), was the 137th season of the Scottish Junior Cup, the national knockout tournament for member clubs of the Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA). A total of 112 clubs entered the competition, four more than in 2022–23.
Camelon Juniors, Caledonian Locomotives (previously Rossvale), Hall Russell United, Kello Rovers, Pollok, Pumpherston, and Whitehills returned to take part in the competition while Finnart and Rossvale (formerly Rossvale Academy) entered for the first time. Glasgow Perthshire, Harthill Royal, and Livingston United did not compete, along with Aberdeen University who also withdrew from their league and Syngenta who had folded.
Defending champions Cumnock Juniors were eliminated in the second round by local rivals Auchinleck Talbot. Darvel defeated Auchinleck in the semi-final en route to claiming the trophy for the first time.
Calendar
[edit]The dates for each round of the 2023–24 tournament were as follows:
| Round | Main date | Matches | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 2 September 2023 | 48 | 112 → 64 |
| Second round | 7 October 2023 | 32 | 64 → 32 |
| Third round | 4 November 2023 | 16 | 32 → 16 |
| Fourth round | 2 December 2023 | 8 | 16 → 8 |
| Quarter-finals | 10 February 2024 | 4 | 8 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | 13 April & 20 April 2024 | 2 | 4 → 2 |
| Final | 2 June 2024 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Drawn matches proceed direct to a penalty shootout, with no extra time. The semi-finals reverted back to being played home and away over two legs after two seasons as single legs at neutral venues.
First round
[edit]The 15 clubs taking part in the Scottish Cup — Auchinleck Talbot, Beith Juniors, Benburb, Camelon Juniors, Carluke Rovers, Carnoustie Panmure, Culter, Cumnock Juniors, Darvel, Glenafton Athletic, Irvine Meadow XI, Lochee United, Pollok, Rutherglen Glencairn, and Tayport — received a bye into the second round draw along with St Anthony's.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Second round
[edit]Matches
[edit]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Third round
[edit]Matches
[edit]| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| 4 November 2023 | ||
| Bellshill Athletic | 3–1 | Lesmahagow Juniors |
| Bridge of Don Thistle | 1–1 (2–4 p) | Auchinleck Talbot |
| Caledonian Locomotives | 4–2 | Carnoustie Panmure |
| Culter | 0–2 | Lochee United |
| Finnart | 1–4 | Larkhall Thistle |
| Glenafton Athletic | 1–2 | Darvel |
| St. Anthony's | 2–2 (5–6 p) | Benburb |
| Stonehaven | 2–0 | East End |
| Vale of Leven | 4–2 | Montrose Roselea |
| 11 November 2023 | ||
| Downfield | 1–0 | Dalry Thistle |
| Dundee Violet | 0–3 | St Cadoc's |
| Gartcairn | 2–3 | Largs Thistle |
| Hermes | 0–8 | Hurlford United |
| Johnstone Burgh | 3–1 | Irvine Meadow XI |
| Rothie Rovers | 4–3 | Shotts Bon Accord |
| Rutherglen Glencairn | 3–3 (3–4 p) | Arthurlie |
Fourth round
[edit]Draw
[edit]| Tier | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |
|
Matches
[edit]| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| 2 December 2023 | ||
| Largs Thistle | 2–2 (0–3 p) | Lochee United |
| 9 December 2023 | ||
| Stonehaven | 0–1 | St Cadoc's |
| 16 December 2023 | ||
| Hurlford United | 3–2 | Caledonian Locomotives |
| Benburb | 2–3 | Arthurlie |
| Rothie Rovers | 1–4 | Bellshill Athletic |
| Vale of Leven | 1–4 | Auchinleck Talbot |
| Darvel | 4–0 | Larkhall Thistle |
| 27 January 2024 | ||
| Johnstone Burgh | 2–2 (4–3 p) | Downfield |
Quarter-finals
[edit]Draw
[edit]| Tier | 6 | 7 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |
|
Matches
[edit]| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| 10 February 2024 | ||
| Darvel | 3–0 | Lochee United |
| Johnstone Burgh | 3–3 (4–1 p) | St Cadoc's |
| Bellshill Athletic | 1–2 | Arthurlie |
| Auchinleck Talbot | 3–0 | Hurlford United |
Semi-finals
[edit]| Tier | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Teams |
First leg
[edit]| Auchinleck Talbot | 0–2 | Darvel |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Arthurlie | 2–2 | Johnstone Burgh |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Second leg
[edit]| Darvel | 0–1 | Auchinleck Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| Report | A. Wilson  20' |
Darvel won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Johnstone Burgh | 1–2 | Arthurlie |
|---|---|---|
| Brophy 18' | Report |
|
Arthurlie won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
[edit]The Final of the Scottish Junior Cup was played at Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld on Sunday 2 June with a 4.05pm kick off. The game was televised live by BBC Alba.
          |   |
References
[edit]- ^ "Clydebuilt Home Improvements Scottish Junior Cup". Scottish Junior FA. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ a b "FANTASTIC WEEKEND OF FOOTBALL! This weekend's official attendances:".
- ^ @scottishjuniors (2 June 2024). "Todays official attendance is 3,491" (Tweet) – via Twitter.