| Event | 1991–92 Scottish Challenge Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 8 December 1991 | ||||||
| Venue | Fir Park, Motherwell | ||||||
| Referee | Les Mottram (Forth)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 9,663[1] | ||||||
←1990 1992 → | |||||||
The1991 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as theB&Q Cup final for sponsorship reasons, was anassociation football match betweenHamilton Academical andAyr United on 8 December 1991 atFir Park in Motherwell.[2] It was the second final of theScottish Challenge Cup, and a continuation of the tournament organised the previous season to celebrate the centenary of theScottish Football League.
The match was Hamilton Academical's first national final in 56 years since the Scottish Cup final of1935; whilst it was Ayr United's second consecutive appearance in the final of the tournament having lost theinaugural final the previous season. The tournament was contested by clubs below the Scottish Premier Division, with both finalists from theFirst Division. The only goal of the match came fromColin Harris for Hamilton Academical to win 1–0.[1]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First round | Alloa Athletic (h) | 5–1 |
| Second round | Partick Thistle (a) | 2–1 |
| Quarter-final | East Fife (a) | 3–2 |
| Semi-final | Raith Rovers (h) | 2–1 |
Hamilton Academical entered the first round with 20 other clubs from the First and Second Divisions; six clubs received randombyes into the second round. The club was drawn againstAlloa Athletic in the first round at home and won 5–1 atDouglas Park.[3] In the next round Hamilton Academical travelled toPartick Thistle where they won 2–1[3] to progress to the quarter-finals. With eight clubs left in the competition, Hamilton facedEast Fife away from home and won 3–2 to qualify for the semi-finals where they playedRaith Rovers atDouglas Park to win 2–1 and progress to the final;[3] their first national final since 1935.
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First round | Dundee (a) | 2–0 |
| Second round | Stenhousemuir (a) | 2–0 |
| Quarter-final | Stranraer (h) | 2–0 |
| Semi-final | Queen of the South (h) | 3–2 |
In the first round Ayr United playedDundee in a repeat of the previous season's final, which the club lost 3–2 afterextra time. This time Ayr United won the match 2–0 atDens Park to progress to the second round.[3] The next round was a match atOchilview Park to faceStenhousemuir where it ended 2–0 to Ayr United.[3] With eight clubs left in the competition, the club playedStranraer atSomerset Park and won 2–0 for the third consecutive round and progress to the semi-final. The draw for the semi-final paired the club withQueen of the South which Ayr United won 3–2 to reach the final of the tournament for the second year in a row.[3]
Both Ayr United and Hamilton Academical played two games each at their respective homes ofSomerset Park andDouglas Park, and two away games in the rounds preceding the final. Ayr United scored a total of nine goals and conceded only two before the final, compared with Hamilton Academical's twelve goals scored and five conceded. Ayr United kept a total of threeclean sheets whilst Hamilton Academical kept none. This was the first appearance for Hamilton in the Scottish Challenge Cup final, whereas Ayr United had been defeated in the final of the previous season in the competition's inaugural year.[3]
        Hamilton Academical |    Ayr United |
Match rules
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