Having to go beyond Goal Difference

[HibeeJibee]

There is an interesting scenario in the concluding game of the East of Scotland League this Saturday - namely Broxburn Athletic v Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic. If the game is won by Broxburn by 1 goal then all 3 contenders (the other being Penicuik Athletic) will tie, on Points and Goal Difference... Broxburn winning 3-2/4-3/more would win them the title on Goals For... Broxburn winning 1-0 would win Penicuik the title on Goals For... Broxburn winning 2-1 would win Penicuik the title on Head-to-Head, being tied with Broxburn on Points and Goal Difference and Goals For.

Has there ever been a previous instance in Scotland (senior and non-league) where a matter of consequence has had to go beyond Points and Goal Difference? May have occurred in mid-table now 'n then.

[AyrshireTon]

In 2008 the scenario was prepared for that a play off would be needed to see who avoided the relegation playoff.

Morton and Clyde were on equal points and goal difference, ahead of already-relegated Stirling Albion, with Morton having scored one goal more. The final day fixtures were Clyde v Stirling and Partick Thistle v Morton. If the games ended, for example, 1-0 to Morton and 2-1 to Clyde, the teams would have finished on exactly the same records. The SFL decided that, in that event, there would be a single playoff game to decide 8th and 9th places.

In the end, both teams won 3-0, and Clyde ended 9th by virtue of goals scored. They would go on to win a crazy playoff against Alloa.

[craigkillie]

14 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Has there ever been a previous instance in Scotland (senior and non-league) where a matter of consequence has had to go beyond Points and Goal Difference? May have occurred in mid-table now 'n then.

I don't have any data for non-league football, so I can only look at league football. As you might expect, it has been relatively rare for teams to be level on both points and goal difference. In 121 completed seasons of Scottish League football there are a total of 27 instances of two teams having the same number of points and the same goal difference.

Of those 27, only 10 of them came in an era where goal difference was actually used as a tie-breaker. From 1890/91-1920/21, there were no tie-breakers at all - teams who finished level on points were considered level. From 1921/22-1970/71, goal average was the first tie-breaker. Goal difference was introduced in 1971/72.

All of the occasions where teams have finished level on points and goal difference are listed below. We can see that goals scored has never been used to determine any important league position - all of the examples since goal difference was introduced have covered inconsequential league placings.

Note that there were two occasions pre-goal difference where the sides finishing top of the league had the same points and GD. The first case was in 1914/15, when Cowdenbeath, St Bernards and Leith Athletic all finished level top of the second tier, with Cowden and Saints having the same goal difference. All three sides played off in a round robin (with all matches played at neutral venues) and Cowdenbeath finished as champions. The second case came in the second tier in 1950/51 - Queen of the South won the league ahead of Stirling Albion on goal average, but both sides were promoted.

There have been two occasions in Scottish league history where two sides have finished level on points, goal difference AND goals scored; St Bernards and Alloa in the second tier in 1926/27, and Arbroath and Queen of the South in the third tier in 1983/84.

 

1890/91-1920/21 - Sides level on points considered level (no GA/GD tiebreaker applied).

1898/99 - Tier 2 - Airdrie and Hamilton joint 5th. [Hamilton scored more goals]
1908/09 - Tier 1 - Aberdeen and St Mirren joint 7th. [Aberdeen scored more goals]
1910/11 - Tier 2 - Dundee Hibs (United) and Arthurlie joint 8th (along with two other clubs with different goal differences). [Dundee Hibs scored more goals]
1913/14 - Tier 1 - Aberdeen and Hibs joint 13th. [Hibs scored more goals]
1914/15 - Tier 2 - Cowdenbeath and St Bernard's joint 1st (along with Leith, who had a different goal difference). The clubs had a 3 way title play-off, which Cowdenbeath won. [St Bernard's scored more goals]
1918/19 - Tier 1 - Queen's Park and Killie joint 8th. [Killie scored more goals]

 

1921/22-1970/71 - Goal average as first tiebreaker.

1924/25 - Tier 1 - Aberdeen 15th, Falkirk 16th.
1924/25 - Tier 3 - Royal Albert 9th, Clackmannan 10th.
1925/26 - Tier 2 - Albion Rovers 9th, Arbroath 10th.
1926/27 - Tier 2 - St Bernards and Alloa joint 13th. [Level on points, goals for and goals against]
1950/51 - Tier 2 - Queen of the South 1st, Stirling Albion 2nd.
1953/54 - Tier 1 - Rangers 4th, Hibs 5th.
1953/54 - Tier 2 - Cowdenbeath 13th, Arbroath 14th.
1963/64 - Tier 2 - Berwick 12th, Hamilton 13th.
1964/65 - Tier 2 - Cowdenbeath 12th, Raith 13th.
1969/70 - Tier 1 - Dundee 6th, Kilmarnock 7th.
1969/70 - Tier 1 - Morton 9th, Dunfermline 10th(?) [both had GA (and GD) of 0, not clear if GS was a tie-breaker]

 

1971/72 - present. Goal difference as first tiebreaker.

1972/73 - Tier 2 - Hamilton 7th, Cowdenbeath 8th.
1972/73 - Tier 2 - Raith 3rd, Stirling Albion 4th.
1974/75 - Tier 2 - Berwick 9th, East Stirlingshire 10th.
1975/76 - Tier 2 - Airdrie 7th, Falkirk 8th.
1976/77 - Tier 3 - East Stirlingshire 10th, Meadowbank 11th.
1979/80 - Tier 3 - Brechin 7th, Cowdenbeath 8th.
1983/84 - Tier 3 - Arbroath and Queen of the South joint 5th. [Level on points, goals for and goals against]
1989/90 - Tier 3 - Queen of the South 10th, Queen's Park 11th.
1992/93 - Tier 3 - Alloa 5th, Arbroath 6th.
2007/08 - Tier 4 - Albion Rovers 7th, Dumbarton 8th.

[craigkillie]

8 hours ago, AyrshireTon said:

In 2008 the scenario was prepared for that a play off would be needed to see who avoided the relegation playoff.

Morton and Clyde were on equal points and goal difference, ahead of already-relegated Stirling Albion, with Morton having scored one goal more. The final day fixtures were Clyde v Stirling and Partick Thistle v Morton. If the games ended, for example, 1-0 to Morton and 2-1 to Clyde, the teams would have finished on exactly the same records. The SFL decided that, in that event, there would be a single playoff game to decide 8th and 9th places.

In the end, both teams won 3-0, and Clyde ended 9th by virtue of goals scored. They would go on to win a crazy playoff against Alloa.

The jist of this post is correct, but Clyde went into the final matches one worse off than Morton on goal difference - both sides had scored 37, while Morton had conceded 58 and Clyde had conceded 59.

So for the sides to finish level required both sides to get the same result and both score the same number of goals, but for Morton to concede one more than Clyde. A single Partick Thistle goal in the game against Morton would have led to the sides requiring a play-off.

The same sort of thing happened on the final day of the 1982/83 Premier Division season. Dundee United won the title by a point after beating Dundee 2-1 at Dens Park on the final day. Had Dundee equalised, then United would have finished dead level with Celtic at the top of the table and a title play-off would have been needed.

[blueone]

Unlikely scenario but still possible this week if Clyde win 5-0 at Cowdenbeath and Peterhead draw 4-4 at Queens Park. Both teams will have the same points, same goal difference and same goals scored with the league title at stake.

If it goes head to head, Peterhead have won twice, one draw and one defeat. If it goes to a play off it would mess up the normal play offs.

[AyrshireTon]

29 minutes ago, blueone said:

Unlikely scenario but still possible this week if Clyde win 5-0 at Cowdenbeath and Peterhead draw 4-4 at Queens Park. Both teams will have the same points, same goal difference and same goals scored with the league title at stake.

If it goes head to head, Peterhead have won twice, one draw and one defeat. If it goes to a play off it would mess up the normal play offs.

I think head to head is the criteria now, rather than a playoff.

[craigkillie]

Yes, head-to-head was introduced after the SPFL merger.

[GordonS]

In 2004 Rosenborg won the Norwegian league on goals scored, being level with Vålerenga on points and goal difference. It's the only title I know off that was decided by more than the first tie-breaker (GD, play-off etc).

Edited May 2, 2019 by GordonS

[The Master]

It came to within a goal of happening for the Championship title in 2013/14: had Dumbarton equalised against Dundee, Hamilton would have won it on goals scored. 

Actually, to be more precise, it came to within the length of Kyle Letheren's fingertips. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by The Master

[HibeeJibee]

Bonnyrigg ultimately won 3-2 in remarkable circumstances. However there were two periods of game... at 1-0 for part of the first half + 2-1 for part of the second... when it was going down to GF + "Head-to-Head".