 The match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2004–05 Scottish Challenge Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 7 November 2004 | ||||||
| Venue | McDiarmid Park, Perth | ||||||
| Referee | K. Clark (Paisley) | ||||||
| Attendance | 7,471 | ||||||
←2003 2005 → | |||||||
The2004 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as theBell's Cup final for sponsorship reasons, was anassociation football match betweenFalkirk andRoss County on 7 November 2004 atMcDiarmid Park in Perth.[1] It was the 14th final of theScottish Challenge Cup since it was first organised in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of theScottish Football League.
Falkirk emerged winners after defeating Ross County 2–1 with goals fromNeil Scally andDarryl Duffy[2] to win the tournament for a third time after winning the1993 and1997 finals.
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First round | Ayr United (a) | 3–0 |
| Second round | Stirling Albion (h) | 5–3 |
| Quarter-final | Gretna (h) | 3–0 |
| Semi-final | St Johnstone (a) | 2–1 |
The first round draw paired The Bairns with Ayr United atSomerset Park with the home team emerging 3–0 victors.[3] The second round was a home game against neighbours Stirling Albion for Falkirk atOchilview Park producing a high scoring 5–3 win[4] to progress to the quarter-finals. The opponents drawn were Gretna at home in the quarter-finals and Falkirk won with their second 3–0 victory of the tournament.[5] The reward for reaching the semi-final was an away game at St. Johnstone with Falkirk edging out the opponents to win 2–1 to book a place in the final.[6] Falkirk reached the Scottish Challenge Cup final for the third time, since winning the1993 final againstSt Mirren and defeatingQueen of the South in the1997 final.
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First round | St Mirren (h) | 2–1 |
| Second round | Peterhead (a) | 2–1 |
| Quarter-final | Partick Thistle (h) | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3pen.) |
| Semi-final | Forfar Athletic (h) | 5–2 |
Ross County were drawn against St. Mirren at home in the first round and County produced a 2–1 victory[3] over the club. The second round draw saw The Staggies drawn against Peterhead away from home with Ross County emerging 2–1 winners[4] for the second consecutive game. The quarter-final draw brought with Partick Thistle all the way toVictoria Park which saw Ross County edging out a 5–3 win onpenalties after a 1–1 draw afterextra time[5] to progress to the semi-finals. The opposition provided in the semi-final draw was Forfar Athletic and another home game which saw theDingwall outfit triumph with a 5–2 victory[6] to proceed to the Scottish Challenge Cup final for the first time in the club's history.
Falkirk had played two games at their shared home ofOchilview Park and two away in the games preceding the final with Ross County playing a total of three games atVictoria Park and one away from home. In the process Falkirk amassed a total of thirteen goals scored and a mere four goals conceded whilst keeping twoclean sheets. Ross County scored ten goals before the final and conceded a total of five, managing to keep no clean sheets. Falkirk progressed winners through all four games in 90 minutes of play, whereas it tookpenalties before Ross County emerged as winners over Partick Thistle in the quarter-final. This was Falkirk's third time competing in the Scottish Challenge Cup final, whilst holding a 100% record after winning both the1993 and1997 finals. Ross County were appearing in the final for the first time in the club's history.
        Falkirk |   Ross County |
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MATCH RULES
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