2023–24 Scottish Challenge Cup

The 2023–24 Scottish Challenge Cup, known as the SPFL Trust Trophy due to sponsorship reasons,^[1] was the 32nd season of the competition. The total number of participating clubs was 53, including clubs from Wales and Northern Ireland. The competition began on 1 August 2023 with the first round and the final took place on 24 March 2024.

2023–24 Scottish Challenge Cup

Tournament details
Country	Scotland Northern Ireland Wales
Dates	1 August 2023 – 24 March 2024
Teams	53
Defending champions	Hamilton Academical
Final positions
Champions	Airdrieonians
Runners-up	The New Saints
Tournament statistics
Matches played	52
Goals scored	173 (3.33 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Brad Young (5 goals)
← 2022–23 2024–25 → All statistics correct as of 24 March 2024.

Thirty teams from the Championship, League One and League Two competed, along with four teams from the Highland Football League and four from the Lowland Football League. In addition to this, Under-21 teams from 11 of the 12 clubs competing in the Scottish Premiership were represented. This season also included guest clubs, with two sides each coming from Northern Ireland's NIFL Premiership (Cliftonville and Coleraine) and the Welsh Cymru Premier (TNS and Bala Town).^[2]

Format

Round	Date	Fixtures	Clubs	New entries
First Round[3]	1–2 August 2023	11	53 → 42	3 teams from 2022–23 Scottish League Two (8th–10th) 4 teams from 2022–23 Lowland Football League (1st–4th) 4 teams from 2022–23 Highland Football League (1st–4th) 11 U21 teams from 2023–24 Scottish Premiership
Second Round[3]	15–16 August 2023	10	42 → 32	2 teams from 2022–23 Scottish League One (9th–10th) 7 teams from 2022–23 Scottish League Two (1st–7th)
Third Round[3]	9–10 September 2023	16	32 → 16	Teams from 2022–23 Scottish Championship (2nd–10th) 8 teams from 2022–23 Scottish League One (1st–8th) 2 teams from 2022–23 NIFL Premiership (4th and 6th) 2 teams from 2022–23 Cymru Premier (1st and 5th)
Fourth Round[3]	14–15 October 2023	8	16 → 8
Quarter-finals[3]	18–19 November 2023	4	8 → 4
Semi-finals[3]	3–4 February 2024	2	4 → 2
Final[3]	24 March 2024	1	2 → 1

First round

The first round featured 3 clubs from 2022 to 2023 Scottish League Two, 4 clubs from the 2022–23 Scottish Highland Football League, 4 clubs from the 2022–23 Scottish Lowland Football League and 11 of the 12 under-21 teams of the 2023–24 Scottish Premiership, with Ross County not entering an under-21 team.^[3]

The draw was made on 4 July 2023 at 13:00 and broadcast live on the SPFL YouTube Channel. The draw was regionalised and all non-Under 21 teams were seeded. The matches were played on 1 and 2 August 2023.^[2]

North Section

Draw

Teams that entered the competition in the first round.

Seeded Teams	Unseeded Teams
Elgin City Brechin City Buckie Thistle Brora Rangers Formartine United	Aberdeen B Dundee B Heart of Midlothian B Hibernian B St Johnstone B

Matches

Brechin City v Heart of Midlothian B

1 August 2023	Brechin City	2–2 (5–3 p)	Heart of Midlothian B	Brechin
19:30	MacLeod 22' McGrath 36'	[4]	Kirk 76' (pen.) Friel 80'	Stadium: Glebe Park Attendance: 474 Referee: George Calder
	Penalties
	Loudon McGrath MacLeod McArthur Heenan		Kirk Sandilands Wilson McLuckie

Elgin City v St Johnstone B

1 August 2023	Elgin City	2–0	St Johnstone B	Elgin
19:30	MacLeman 20' Barron 75'	[5]		Stadium: Borough Briggs Attendance: 478 Referee: Daniel Graves

Hibernian B v Formartine United

2 August 2023	Hibernian B	1–1 (3–2 p)	Formartine United	Edinburgh
19:30	Landers 45'	[6]	Park 42'	Stadium: Meadowbank Stadium Attendance: 107 Referee: Alex Shepherd
	Penalties
	McAllister MacIntyre Megwa Zaid		Park Campbell Rodger Smith

Brora Rangers v Aberdeen B

2 August 2023	Brora Rangers	1–1 (2–4 p)	Aberdeen B	Brora
19:45	J. MacRae 28'	[7]	Bavidge 82'	Stadium: Dudgeon Park Attendance: 275 Referee: Ryan Lee
	Penalties
	A. MacRae Nicolson Brindle Sutherland		Hamilton Marshall Lobban Emslie Bavidge

Dundee B v Buckie Thistle

2 August 2023	Dundee B	4–0	Buckie Thistle	Forfar
20:00	Mohammed 1' Wilkie 17' Mutale 23' Anderson 61'	[8]		Stadium: Station Park Attendance: 116 Referee: Colin Whyte

South Section

Draw

Teams that entered the competition in the first round.

Seeded Teams	Unseeded Teams
Bonnyrigg Rose Albion Rovers The Spartans University of Stirling Tranent East Kilbride	Celtic B Kilmarnock B Livingston B Motherwell B Rangers B St Mirren B

Matches

St Mirren B v Albion Rovers

1 August 2023	St Mirren B	2–2 (2–4 p)	Albion Rovers	Paisley
19:30	Turner 51' Sutherland 90'	[9]	Joseph 27' Fagan 41'	Stadium: St Mirren Park Attendance: 363 Referee: Greg Soutar
	Penalties
	Gilmartin Gaffney Foster Lennon		Joseph Wilson McCaw McMahon

Tranent v Motherwell B

1 August 2023	Tranent	0–0 (3–1 p)	Motherwell B	Tranent
19:45		[10]		Stadium: Foresters Park Attendance: 200 Referee: Jordan Curran
	Penalties
	Higginbotham Ross Watson		McGinley Maguire Adam Ross

The Spartans v Rangers B

1 August 2023	The Spartans	0–3	Rangers B	Edinburgh
19:45		[11]	Fraser 37' Ishaka 48' Lowry 57' (pen.)	Stadium: Ainslie Park Attendance: 273 Referee: Ross Hardie

Kilmarnock B v Bonnyrigg Rose

1 August 2023	Kilmarnock B	3–1	Bonnyrigg Rose	Kilmarnock
19:45	Wales 18' Warnock 21' Brown 52'	[12]	Faye 46'	Stadium: Rugby Park Attendance: 181 Referee: Andy Gamble

University of Stirling v Livingston B

2 August 2023	University of Stirling	4–0	Livingston B	Stirling
19:45	Russell 3' Malcolm 70' McIvor-Redwood 72' Tallen 87'	[13]		Stadium: Forthbank Stadium Attendance: 98 Referee: Duncan Nicolson

Celtic B v East Kilbride

2 August 2023	Celtic B	1–3	East Kilbride	Airdrie
19:45	Vata 12'	[14]	Biggar 6' Samson 57' Kelly 82'	Stadium: Excelsior Stadium Attendance: 338 Referee: Peter Stuart

Second round

The second round featured the 11 winners from the previous round, along with 2 clubs from 2022 to 2023 Scottish League One and 7 clubs from 2022 to 2023 Scottish League Two.

The draw for the second round was also made on 4 July 2023 at 13:00 on the live broadcast from the SPFL YouTube Channel. The draw was regionalised, but not seeded. The matches were played on 15 and 16 August 2023.^[2]

North Section

Draw

Teams that entered the competition in the second round.

Peterhead East Fife Forfar Athletic

Matches

Brechin City v Hibernian B

15 August 2023	Brechin City	0–4	Hibernian B	Brechin
19:30		[15]	Molotnikov 13' Megwa 37' Smith 77', 83'	Stadium: Glebe Park Attendance: 400 Referee: Duncan Nicolson

Aberdeen B v Peterhead

15 August 2023	Aberdeen B	3–5	Peterhead	Pitmedden
19:45	Stewart 18' Bavidge 56' (pen.) Marshall 72'	[16]	Ross 49' McCarthy 62' Jordon Brown 82', 83' Shanks 86'	Stadium: North Lodge Park Attendance: 384 Referee: Ross Clark

Dundee B v East Fife

15 August 2023	Dundee B	0–0 (3–5 p)	East Fife	Dundee
19:45		[17]		Stadium: Dens Park Attendance: 309 Referee: Greg Soutar
	Penalties
	Richardson Lamb Barnett Robertson		Murdoch Shepherd Healy Newton Walls

Elgin City v Forfar Athletic

15 August 2023	Elgin City	0–0 (4–3 p)	Forfar Athletic	Elgin
19:45		[18]		Stadium: Borough Briggs Attendance: 349 Referee: Jordan Curran
	Penalties
	Dingwall MacEwan Wright Harvey Cruickshank		Munro Whatley Morrison Whyte Thomson

South Section

Draw

Teams that entered the competition in the second round.

Clyde Stirling Albion Dumbarton Annan Athletic Stenhousemuir Stranraer

Matches

Albion Rovers v Tranent

15 August 2023	Albion Rovers	2–0	Tranent	Coatbridge
19:45	Joseph 75', 87'	[19]		Stadium: Cliftonhill Attendance: 157 Referee: Andy Gamble

Annan Athletic v Stranraer

15 August 2023	Annan Athletic	3–1	Stranraer	Annan
19:45	Kilsby 44' Docherty 51' Smith 55'	[20]	McDonald 38'	Stadium: Galabank Attendance: 301 Referee: Gavin Duncan

Stirling Albion v East Kilbride

15 August 2023	Stirling Albion	0–3	East Kilbride	Stirling
19:45		[21]	Lyon 18' Kelly 82' Stirling 84'	Stadium: Forthbank Stadium Attendance: 329 Referee: Stewart Luke

Stenhousemuir v Rangers B

15 August 2023	Stenhousemuir	1–2	Rangers B	Stenhousemuir
20:00	Lynch 60'	[22]	McPake 59' Lovelace 90'	Stadium: Ochilview Park Attendance: 269 Referee: Ryan Lee

Clyde v University of Stirling

16 August 2023	Clyde	1–3	University of Stirling	Hamilton
19:45	Scullion 55'	[23]	McKinlay 33' Šuľa 86' (o.g.) Stokes 90'	Stadium: New Douglas Park Attendance: 222 Referee: Alex Shepherd

Kilmarnock B v Dumbarton

16 August 2023	Kilmarnock B	1–1 (8–9 p)	Dumbarton	Kilmarnock
19:45	Wales 65'	[24]	Pignatiello 40'	Stadium: Rugby Park Attendance: 300 Referee: Daniel Graves
	Penalties
	Warnock A. Brown Wales Brannan Davies Sanders E. Brown Craic Smith		Hilton Wilson Orsi Blair T. Wallace Wylde MacLean Durnan Lynas

Third round

The third round featured the 10 winners from the previous round, along with the bottom club from 2022 to 2023 Scottish Premiership, 2nd-10th from 2022 to 2023 Scottish Championship, 8 clubs from 2022 to 2023 Scottish League One, 2 clubs from 2022 to 2023 NIFL Premiership and 2 clubs from 2022 to 2023 Cymru Premier.

Draw

The draw was made on 17 August 2023 at 13:00 live on the SPFL YouTube Channel.^[25]

Teams that entered the competition in the third round.

Championship	League One	Teams from other countries
Airdrieonians Arbroath Ayr United Dundee United Dunfermline Athletic Greenock Morton Inverness Caledonian Thistle Partick Thistle Queen's Park Raith Rovers	Alloa Athletic Cove Rangers Edinburgh City Falkirk Hamilton Academical Kelty Hearts Montrose Queen of the South	NIFL Premiership Cliftonville Coleraine Cymru Premier The New Saints Bala Town

Matches

Ayr United v Falkirk

5 September 2023	Ayr United	0–1	Falkirk	Ayr
19:45		[26]	Henderson 30'	Stadium: Somerset Park Attendance: 1,423 Referee: Steven Kirkland

Hibernian B v The New Saints

8 September 2023	Hibernian B	0–3	The New Saints	Edinburgh
18:00		[27]	McGregor 4' (o.g.) Clark 36' Young 54'	Stadium: Meadowbank Stadium Attendance: 119 Referee: Iain Snedden

East Fife v Albion Rovers

9 September 2023	East Fife	2–1	Albion Rovers	Methil
13:00	Page 56' McManus 79'	[28]	Joseph 31'	Stadium: Bayview Stadium Attendance: 448 Referee: Lloyd Wilson

Raith Rovers v Cliftonville

9 September 2023	Raith Rovers	3–0	Cliftonville	Kirkcaldy
14:00	Masson 50' Vaughan 69' Hamilton 73'	[29]		Stadium: Stark's Park Attendance: 1,561 Referee: Grant Irvine

Edinburgh City v East Kilbride

9 September 2023	Edinburgh City	1–4	East Kilbride	Edinburgh
15:00	Peter 61'	[30]	Flanagan 43' McDonald 47' Roy 63' Lyon 76'	Stadium: Meadowbank Stadium Attendance: 231 Referee: Dan McFarlane

Annan Athletic v Peterhead

9 September 2023	Annan Athletic	0–2	Peterhead	Annan
15:00		[31]	McCarthy 15' Shanks 55'	Stadium: Galabank Attendance: 326 Referee: Scott Lambie

Cove Rangers v Montrose

9 September 2023	Cove Rangers	0–2	Montrose	Aberdeen
15:00		[32]	Brown 58' Hester 87'	Stadium: Balmoral Stadium Attendance: 520 Referee: Alastair Grieve

Dumbarton v Kelty Hearts

9 September 2023	Dumbarton	1–3	Kelty Hearts	Dumbarton
15:00	Ruth 34'	[33]	Lyon 11' Biabi 16', 76'	Stadium: Dumbarton Football Stadium Attendance: 427 Referee: Duncan Williams

University of Stirling v Airdrieonians

9 September 2023	University of Stirling	2–3	Airdrieonians	Stirling
15:00	McAninch 18', 54' (pen.)	[34]	O'Connor 36' McCabe 37' McStravick 58'	Stadium: Forthbank Stadium Attendance: 609 Referee: Alan Muir

Greenock Morton v Elgin City

9 September 2023	Greenock Morton	2–1	Elgin City	Greenock
15:00	Muirhead 30' McGrattan 63'	[35]	Harvey 16'	Stadium: Cappielow Attendance: 1,016 Referee: Ross Hardie

Dundee United v Dunfermline Athletic

9 September 2023	Dundee United	3–0	Dunfermline Athletic	Dundee
15:00	Moult 18' Comrie 34' (o.g.) Glass 37'	[36]		Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 2,408 Referee: Craig Napier

Arbroath v Inverness Caledonian Thistle

9 September 2023	Arbroath	4–2	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	Arbroath
15:00	Gold 34' O'Brien 41' Stewart 70' Steele 84'	[37]	Brooks 43' Hyde 90'	Stadium: Gayfield Park Attendance: 780 Referee: Steven McLean

Partick Thistle v Queen of the South

9 September 2023	Partick Thistle	2–3	Queen of the South	Glasgow
15:00	Lawless 11' (pen.) Stanway 48'	[38]	McGuffie 7' Reilly 24' Ambrose 87'	Stadium: Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,307 Referee: Euan Anderson

Coleraine v Hamilton Academical

9 September 2023	Coleraine	1–3	Hamilton Academical	Coleraine, Northern Ireland
15:45	Lynch 24'	[39]	Smith 11' Zanatta 48' Barjonas 82'	Stadium: The Showgrounds Attendance: 906 Referee: Chris Morrison

Bala Town v Queen's Park

9 September 2023	Bala Town	0–3	Queen's Park	Bala, Wales
17:15		[40]	Turner 20' Hepburn 44' Paton 90'	Stadium: Maes Tegid Attendance: 317 Referee: Aaron Wyn Jones

Rangers B v Alloa Athletic

26 September 2023	Rangers B	4–1	Alloa Athletic	Greenock
19:45	McCausland 5' Curtis 86' Graham 88' Lyall 90' (pen.)	[41]	Neill 44'	Stadium: Cappielow Attendance: 139 Referee: Lloyd Wilson

Fourth round

The draw was made on 14 September 2023 at 13:00 live on the SPFL YouTube Channel.^[42]

No new teams enter in this round.

Teams in Italics were unknown at the time of the draw.

Championship	League One	League Two	Lowland League	Premiership B teams	Teams from other countries
Airdrieonians Arbroath Dundee United Greenock Morton Queen's Park Raith Rovers	Falkirk Hamilton Academical Kelty Hearts Montrose Queen of the South	East Fife Peterhead	East Kilbride	Rangers B	Cymru Premier The New Saints

Matches

Raith Rovers v Montrose

14 October 2023	Raith Rovers	3–1	Montrose	Kirkcaldy
15:00	Smith 32' Easton 57' Mullin 67'	[43]	Watson 72'	Stadium: Stark's Park Attendance: 1,388 Referee: Lloyd Wilson

East Kilbride v Hamilton Academical

14 October 2023	East Kilbride	2–5	Hamilton Academical	East Kilbride
15:00	McGowan 31' Ferguson 53'	[44]	Mumbongo 17' Arnott 20' (o.g.) MacDonald 37' (pen.), 80' Murray 38'	Stadium: K-Park Training Academy Attendance: 583 Referee: Chris Fordyce

Falkirk v Queen's Park

14 October 2023	Falkirk	1–0	Queen's Park	Falkirk
15:00	Allan 5' (pen.)	[45]		Stadium: Falkirk Stadium Attendance: 2,427 Referee: Scott Lambie

Queen of the South v Arbroath

14 October 2023	Queen of the South	1–2	Arbroath	Dumfries
15:00	Doherty 12'	[46]	Bird 54' McKenna 90'	Stadium: Palmerston Park Attendance: 786 Referee: Duncan Williams

Greenock Morton v Kelty Hearts

14 October 2023	Greenock Morton	4–1	Kelty Hearts	Greenock
15:00	Muirhead 3', 56', 64' Crawford 70'	[47]	Lyon 11'	Stadium: Cappielow Attendance: 1,056 Referee: Steven Kirkland

The New Saints v East Fife

14 October 2023	The New Saints	2–2 (5–4 p)	East Fife	Oswestry, England
17:15	Young 14' Brobbel 76' (pen.)	[48]	Trouten 35' McManus 60'	Stadium: Park Hall Attendance: 512 Referee: Huw Jones
	Penalties
	Cieślewicz Holden Brobbel Young Routledge		McManus Walls Nicol Trouten Mitchell

Peterhead v Dundee United

14 October 2023	Peterhead	0–2	Dundee United	Peterhead
17:30		[49]	Middleton 7' Watt 71'	Stadium: Balmoor Stadium Attendance: 1,322 Referee: Calum Scott

Rangers B v Airdrieonians

7 November 2023	Rangers B	2–4	Airdrieonians	Greenock
19:45	Gentles 5' Dowell 62'	[50]	Gallagher 11' McGill 22', 54' McCabe 90'	Stadium: Cappielow Attendance: N/A Referee: Steven Kirkland

Quarter-finals

The quarter-final and semi-final draws were made on 19 October 2023 at 13:00 live on the SPFL YouTube Channel.^[51]

Teams in Italics were unknown at the time of the quarter-final draw.

Championship	League One	Teams from other countries
Airdrieonians Arbroath Dundee United Greenock Morton Raith Rovers	Falkirk Hamilton Academical	Cymru Premier The New Saints

Matches

Falkirk v Dundee United

17 November 2023	Falkirk	4–2	Dundee United	Falkirk
19:40	Morrison 4', 71' Lang 65' Yeats 69'	[52]	Cudjoe 23' Watt 33'	Stadium: Falkirk Stadium Attendance: 2,891 Referee: Grant Irvine

Hamilton Academical v Raith Rovers

17 November 2023	Hamilton Academical	1–4	Raith Rovers	Hamilton
19:45	Zanatta 73'	[53]	Stanton 8' Hamilton 58', 61' Easton 90'	Stadium: New Douglas Park Attendance: 971 Referee: Iain Snedden

The New Saints v Arbroath

18 November 2023	The New Saints	4–1	Arbroath	Oswestry, England
14:30	Clark 29' Young 37', 85' Cieślewicz 80'	[54]	Bird 9'	Stadium: Park Hall Attendance: 587 Referee: Bryn Markham-Jones

Greenock Morton v Airdrieonians

18 November 2023	Greenock Morton	0–0 (5–6 p)	Airdrieonians	Greenock
15:00		[55]		Stadium: Cappielow Attendance: 1,269 Referee: Ross Hardie
	Penalties
	Gillespie Oakley Blues Crawford Wilson McGrattan		Fordyce Telfer McCabe Todorov Frizzell Ballantyne

Semi-finals

Matches

Raith Rovers v Airdrieonians

2 February 2024	Raith Rovers	0–1	Airdrieonians	Kirkcaldy
19:40		[56]	Todorov 6'	Stadium: Stark's Park Attendance: 2,640 Referee: Colin Steven

Falkirk v The New Saints

3 February 2024	Falkirk	0–1	The New Saints	Falkirk
19:40		[57]	Young 26'	Stadium: Falkirk Stadium Attendance: 3,582 Referee: Chris Graham

Final

Main article: 2024 Scottish Challenge Cup final

The New Saints v Airdrieonians

24 March 2024	The New Saints	1–2	Airdrieonians	Falkirk
16:15	Clark 12'	[58]	McStravick 22' Todorov 67' (pen.)	Stadium: Falkirk Stadium Attendance: 3,191 Referee: Matthew MacDermid