22 January 1994 - A Drawful Day For Football (Sorry)

On 22 January 1994, the full slate of six Scottish top flight matches resulted in a point for everyone as all six matches ended in draws.

The day featured match-ups at both ends of the table, as league leaders Rangers were held to a scoreless draw at second-place Aberdeen, while bottom club Dundee held off second-bottom Raith Rovers, 2-2. Elsewhere, Celtic and Dundee United played to another scoreless draw, as did Partick Thistle and Motherwell, while Hearts battled Kilmarnock to a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle.

The day's most surprising result came at St. Johnstone, where the tenth-place side survived their encounter with third-place Hibernian, 2-2. It was part of a seven-match unbeaten streak for the hosts, but it proved to be a brief respite--three teams were relegated at the end of the season to clear the path for a ten-team top flight the following season, and St. Johnstone were the last to go, joining Raith Rovers and Dundee.

Rangers went on to win the league, while Dundee United lifted the Scottish Cup and Hibs took the Scottish League Cup.

20 November 1915 - Celtic's Got Some Symmetry

On 20 November 1915, a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock started an unbeaten run for Celtic that lasted a British record 62 matches.

Celtic, who had won the two previous league titles in 1914 and 1915, had gotten the new season of to a great start, jumping straight to the top of the table on the first day with a 3-1 victory over Motherwell. By mid-November, they were even on points at the top with Hearts and Rangers, but had lost three of the last four matches, with the most recent stumble coming against Hearts on 13 November.

One week later, they hosted Kilmarnock and won 2-0, thanks to goals from left back Joseph Dodds and center forward James McColl. They then proceeded to go unbeaten for the rest of the season, winning 23 and drawing three, to claim their third consecutive league title. They almost made it through the next season unbeaten as well, but finally fell to Kilmarnock at home, 0-2, on the penultimate day (though they still finished on top of the table for their fourth consecutive league title).

The 62-match unbeaten run (with 49 wins and only 13 draws) remains a British record.

24 September 1962 - The Rise Of The Super Ranger

On 24 September 1962, two-time European Golden Boot winner Ally McCoist was born in Bellshill, Scotland.

The striker, nicknamed "Super Ally," started his professional career in 1979 with St. Johnstone. He had a breakout season in 1980-81, scoring 22 goals in 38 league appearances, which led to a move to Sunderland. But after two unsuccessful seasons there, he returned to Scotland, signing with Rangers in 1983 for a fee of £185,000.

Rangers hadn't won the league since 1978, but with McCoist contributing 34 goals, they won it in 1987 and followed that one with nine straight between 1989 and 1997. In both 1992 and 1993, McCoist matched his tally of 34 league goals, winning the European Golden Boot for both seasons. Along the way, McCoist also won nine Scottish League Cups and the 1992 Scottish Cup. While at Rangers, he made 61 appearances for Scotland, where his 19 goals rank him fifth on their list of all-time scorers.

His played the last three seasons of his career for Kilmarnock (1998-2001), then moved into management. In 2004, he served under Scotland manager Walter Smith, then moved with Smith back to Rangers in January 2007. Upon Smith's retirement in 2011, McCoist took the reins for the 2011-12 season, which ended with the club in administration and re-forming as a fourth-tier club. McCoist guided them back to the second tier before resigning in 2014.  

18 October 1873 - When The Scots Buy A Cup, They Keep It

On 18 October 1873, Renton FC won the first-ever Scottish Cup match, defeating Kilmarnock 2-0. Because the Scottish Cup predates league play, that match was the first competitive match in Scotland.

Sixteen clubs entered the inaugural tournament, which started with an unseeded knockout round. The clubs contributed the money used to purchase the cup and medals--a total of £56 12s 11d. Of those first eight matches, two were forfeits. The widest winning margin was Queen's Park's 7-0 victory over Dumbreck, followed closely by Clydesdale's 6-0 win over Granville.

Renton advanced to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Queen's Park, 2-0. A year later, the same two teams met in the Final, with Queen's Park winning again.

Although the FA Cup tournament predates the Scottish Cup by two years, the first FA Cup trophy was stolen in 1895, making the current Scottish Cup the oldest existing national tournament trophy in the world.

14 April 1917 - They've Had A Bit Of Success Since Then, As Well

On 14 April 1917, Celtic beat Hibernian in Edinburgh by the score of 0-1. The win put a bookend on Celtic's record streak of 62 unbeaten league matches, a streak that started the previous season with a 2-0 home win over Kilmarnock on 20 November 1915.

The streak was a small part of Celtic's overall dominance of the Scottish league of the period, which saw them them win four consecutive league titles from 1915-1918 under manager Willie Maley. Maley was one of the first players signed by Celtic in their inaugural season in 1888 and became their first manager in 1897. He retired in 1940, making him Celtic's longest-serving manager. In those 43 years, Maley helmed Celtic to 30 major trophies, including 16 league titles.

Coincidentally, the team at the front end of Celtic's unbeaten streak - Kilmarnock - ended it on 21 April 1917, beating the Hoops in Glasgow by the score of 0-2.

7 January 2006 - Getting Off On The Right Foot

On 7 January 2006, Kris Boyd made his Rangers debut in style with a hat-trick against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup.

The striker had been with Kilmarnock since he was a youth player, then turned professional in 2000. Over the next five and half seasons, he scored at an impressive rate, collecting 67 goals in 168 appearances across all competitions, including 15 league goals in the first half of the 2005-06 season. That attracted the attention of Rangers, who signed him on 1 January for an approximate fee of £400,000.

His first Rangers appearance came at home against Peterhead in the third round of the Scottish Cup. Although he nearly scored with an attempt just seconds after the opening kick, he had to wait until after the break for his opening goal. With Rangers leading 1-0 early in the second half, Boyd struck home from the penalty spot in the 50th minute after a Peterhead foul on Peter Lovenkrands. Four minutes later, he scored again from a cross, then completed his hat-trick with a 71st-minute header. Ross McCormack added a final goal to cap the 5-0 victory.

Boyd remained with Rangers through the 2009-10 season and was their leading scorer each year. He was the league's top scorer in three out of four seasons there, winning two SPL titles and two Scottish Cups before moving to Middlesbrough in July 2010.

22 January 1994 - A Drawful Day For Football (Sorry)

On 22 January 1994, the full slate of six Scottish top flight matches resulted in a point for everyone as all six matches ended in draws.

The day featured match-ups at both ends of the table, as league leaders Rangers were held to a scoreless draw at second-place Aberdeen, while bottom club Dundee held off second-bottom Raith Rovers, 2-2. Elsewhere, Celtic and Dundee United played to another scoreless draw, as did Partick Thistle and Motherwell, while Hearts battled Kilmarnock to a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle.

The day's most surprising result came at St. Johnstone, where the tenth-place side survived their encounter with third-place Hibernian, 2-2. It was part of a seven-match unbeaten streak for the hosts, but it proved to be a brief respite--three teams were relegated at the end of the season to clear the path for a ten-team top flight the following season, and St. Johnstone were the last to go, joining Raith Rovers and Dundee.

Rangers went on to win the league, while Dundee United lifted the Scottish Cup and Hibs took the Scottish League Cup.

(For more draw-filled days, see the Guardian.)

20 November 1915 - Celtic's Got Some Symmetry

On 20 November 1915, a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock started an unbeaten run for Celtic that lasted a British record 62 matches.

Celtic, who had won the two previous league titles in 1914 and 1915, had gotten the new season of to a great start, jumping straight to the top of the table on the first day with a 3-1 victory over Motherwell. By mid-November, they were even on points at the top with Hearts and Rangers, but had lost three of the last four matches, with the most recent stumble coming against Hearts on 13 November.

One week later, they hosted Kilmarnock and won 2-0, thanks to goals from left back Joseph Dodds and center forward James McColl. They then proceeded to go unbeaten for the rest of the season, winning 23 and drawing three, to claim their third consecutive league title. They almost made it through the next season unbeaten as well, but finally fell to Kilmarnock at home, 0-2, on the penultimate day (though they still finished on top of the table for their fourth consecutive league title).

The 62-match unbeaten run (with 49 wins and only 13 draws) remains a British record.

24 September 1962 - The Rise Of The Super Ranger

On 24 September 1962, two-time European Golden Boot winner and current Rangers boss Ally McCoist was born in Bellshill, Scotland.

The striker, nicknamed "Super Ally," started his professional career in 1979 with St. Johnstone. He had a breakout season in 1980-81, scoring 22 goals in 38 league appearances, which led to a move to Sunderland. But after two unsuccessful seasons there, he returned to Scotland, signing with Rangers in 1983 for a fee of £185,000.

Rangers hadn't won the league since 1978, but with McCoist contributing 34 goals, they won it in 1987 and followed that one with nine straight between 1989 and 1997. In both 1992 and 1993, McCoist matched his tally of 34 league goals, winning the European Golden Boot for both seasons. Along the way, McCoist also won nine Scottish League Cups and the 1992 Scottish Cup. While at Rangers, he made 61 appearances for Scotland, where his 19 goals rank him fifth on their list of all-time scorers.

His played the last three seasons of his career for Kilmarnock (1998-2001), then moved into management. In 2004, he served under Scotland manager Walter Smith, then moved with Smith back to Rangers in January 2007. Upon Smith's retirement in 2011, McCoist took the reins for the 2011-12 season and currently has the team on the top of table after an emphatic 4-2 victory over Celtic gave them six wins and a draw in their first seven matches.

18 October 1873 - When The Scots Buy A Cup, They Keep It

On 18 October 1873, Renton FC won the first-ever Scottish Cup match, defeating Kilmarnock 2-0. Because the Scottish Cup predates league play, that match was the first competitive match in Scotland.

Sixteen clubs entered the inaugural tournament, which started with an unseeded knockout round. The clubs contributed the money used to purchase the cup and medals--a total of £56 12s 11d. Of those first eight matches, two were forfeits. The widest winning margin was Queen's Park's 7-0 victory over Dumbreck, followed closely by Clydesdale's 6-0 win over Granville.

Renton advanced to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Queen's Park, 2-0. A year later, the same two teams met in the Final, with Queen's Park winning again.

Although the FA Cup tournament predates the Scottish Cup by two years, the first FA Cup trophy was stolen in 1895, making the current Scottish Cup the oldest existing national tournament trophy in the world.

14 April 1917 - They've Had A Bit Of Success Since Then, As Well

On 14 April 1917, Celtic beat Hibernian in Edinburgh by the score of 0-1. The win put a bookend on Celtic's record streak of 62 unbeaten league matches, a streak that started the previous season with a 2-0 home win over Kilmarnock on 20 November 1915.

The streak was a small part of Celtic's overall dominance of the Scottish league of the period, which saw them them win four consecutive league titles from 1915-1918 under manager Willie Maley. Maley was one of the first players signed by Celtic in their inaugural season in 1888 and became their first manager in 1897. He retired in 1940, making him Celtic's longest-serving manager. In those 43 years, Maley helmed Celtic to 30 major trophies, including 16 league titles.

Coincidentally, the team at the front end of Celtic's unbeaten streak - Kilmarnock - ended it on 21 April 1917, beating the Hoops in Glasgow by the score of 0-2.