Brechin City

Scott McDonald, the inspired substitute, moved Dundee United to within touching distance of the play-offs as he put plucky Brechin City to the sword at Glebe Park last night.

Dunfermline consolidated their position in the Ladbrokes Championship play-offs with a routine 4-0 victory over relegated Brechin City.

Almost there. St Mirren need just a point from their Tuesday night meeting with Dundee Utd at Tannadice to confirm their promotion as Championship title winners. For long stages yesterday it looked as though their old rivals Morton were going to allow the starting gun to be fired on their celebrations as they fought gamely to deny Livingston a victory that keeps the outcome of who is crowned champions still at least mathematically in doubt.

Brechin City wanted the ground to swallow them up after going two goals and two men down in the first half at Falkirk.

There was a compelling case here for the visitors to be playing in a different division next season, but the same could not be said for the hosts. Brechin, without a win in 29 fixtures, had their relegation confirmed after their 25th defeat and their failings were once again all too evident.

A Nicky Clark hat-trick sent Dunfermline to within a point of fourth place and rekindled their play-off hopes as Brechin slipped ever closer to their inevitable relegation.

Dumbarton earned their second win of the week over doomed Brechin to give themselves a boost ahead of Saturday’s Challenge Cup final.

Playing under the threat of relegation as recently as the turn of the year, victory lifted Falkirk to within seven points of an unlikely shot at promotion and just two short of rivals Dunfermline.

St Mirren made alarmingly heavy weather of seeing off the challenge of a rock-bottom Brechin who will go into March without registering a league win. Dominating possession wasn’t the issue for the Paisley men, however a lack of creativity and a genuine cutting edge were major issues, with on-loan Lewis Morgan, as he has been since joining Celtic, a peripheral figure for Saints who despite not being tested, did not really look like a team with an 11-point cushion at the top.

A stoppage time strike from Alex Jakubiak gave rejuvenated Falkirk a dramatic victory and denied battling Brechin only their fifth point of the season.

Stephen Dobbie, the Championship’s most prolific striker, hit a hat-trick as Queens maintained their play-off push while consigning Brechin to their 18th defeat of the campaign.

Celtic produced what Brendan Rodgers called “a professional performance” to blitz Brechin City and breeze into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. The fact Moussa Dembele did not contribute to that on an afternoon in which Rodgers fielded his strongest available side the Irishman intimated afterwards was no mere coincidence.

Daunting might be considered a euphemism for utterly blooming knee-knocking when assessing Brechin City’s Scottish Cup assignment at Celtic Park on Saturday.

A goal in either half saw Livingston step up their pursuit of a play-off place as rock-bottom Brechin remained winless.

Brechin City earned only their fourth point of the campaign as Morton’s play-off hopes suffered a setback at Glebe Park.

Dundee United manager Csaba Laszlo refused to hold back as he publicly criticised his winger Paul McMullan for being sent off for diving.

A collection of the most memorable moments from the Ladbrokes Premiership, lower leagues and the Scottish national team across last year.

John Robertson praised the work-rate and commitment of ten-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle after they moved to within three points of the promotion play-off places.

Dunfermline had to withstand a gritty comeback from Brechin City and the nerves of their frustrated home support but they finally registered a victory for the first time in eight league matches.