Games Stopped

[GMartin]

Been going to matches since the late sixties but have never been to/or heard of a match in Scotland being abandonded because of sending off's, has it ever happened, been to two a couple where teams have went down to seven, but has there been a six ?

[honestman]

Not aware of it happening at Senior level but do know of a game at Junior level which finished with nine on one side and five on the other. This would suggest that the "less than seven man" rule must have come into effect after this game which was played in season 1937/38 between Holytown United and Kilwinning Rangers.

[ScottishFA]

I think there have been three instances of four players from a team being sent off in Scottish senior football:

Stranraer (at Airdrieonians 3/12/94) - Airdrie won 8-1.
Hearts (at Rangers 14/9/96) - all four players had been sent off by the 67th minute but Rangers only scored one more goal against the seven men to win 3-0.
Albion Rovers (at Queen's Park 23/8/97) - they were one up with 12 minutes to go but lost 5-1.

There was also the bizarre case of David Bowman getting red carded with Forfar and being reported for a further four red card offences as he left the field, hence ending up with something like a 13 match ban.

[GMartin]

Was at an Airdrieonians v Hamilton game at Douglas Park, Hamilton won 4-3, sure Hamilton were down to 7 men with Airdrie down to 9, remember another strange case where Falkirk had a player sent off but brought a sub on at the same time and continued to play with 11 players for a few minutes before the error was noticed

[Skyline Drifter]

Not Scotland of course but worth mentioning the recent incident in England where the referee persuaded an injured Swansea player to stand on the field near halfway for the final minute or so of extra time rather than leave the field forcing an abandonment of the tie (which Swansea were already losing). They'd had three sent off and Stephen Dobbie had already left the field injured with broken ribs after that so were already playing with seven before the late injury.

[BMCCOLL]

I'm also sure there was an instance of Kilmarnock finishing with 7 men during a game with Port Glasgow Athletic around 1909.

[Scottish]

I'm also sure there was an instance of Kilmarnock finishing with 7 men during a game with Port Glasgow Athletic around 1909.

Killie STARTED and played the entire 90 minutes with seven away to Port Glasgow on January 4th 1908. The match was held up for 25 minutes before the referee ordered it to go ahead.

The missing four claimed they arrived in Glasgow in good time for a connection to Port Glasgow but claimed they had been informed that fog meant delays on the trains and that they would have got no further than Greenock before kick-off and not reached Port Glasgow until after the match had finished.

Unsurprisingly, Kilmarnock lost the match 4-1. The 'Scottish Referee' said there had been "just one side in the game."

[LEATHERSTOCKING]

Rovers` Graham Ross was the 4th player sent off vs. Queen`s Park @ Hampden on 23rd August 1997 but he received another "red" for comments he imparted to the referee on the way off so Rovers actually collected 5 cautions that day. Davie "laughing boy" Bowman received a 17 game ban which, I think, effectively ended his career. I always think the most bizarre "sending off" was Partick`s Steve Pittmans` in the game against Rangers @ Firhill in 1996. The referee actually gave Pittman 3 cautions, the equivalent of 3 scarlet tokens and Stevie boy wasn`t even one of the unused substitutes!!

Of abandoned games, there was a 19th century instance when "several" Vale of Leven players left the field exhausted during a league game vs. Dumbarton played in driving sleet & rain but it wasn`t clear from the match report whether the abandonment was due to the weather or the number of Vale players left on the pitch.

[LEATHERSTOCKING]

Forgot to mention that Fraserburgh`s 3 red cards on Saturday is the 25th time a Scottish side has finished with 7 or 8 players on the field as a result of sendings off.

[qpsnapper]

Rovers` Graham Ross was the 4th player sent off vs. Queen`s Park @ Hampden on 23rd August 1997 but he received another "red" for comments he imparted to the referee on the way off so Rovers actually collected 5 cautions that day.

Rovers' goalkeeper Stevie Ross was the first to be red-carded that day, I'm sure he was also shown a second red card after directing a volley of abuse at ref Ian Taylor, who appeared to mis-interpret the new "six second" rule for goalkeepers and had given Queen's a free kick against Ross while he had the ball at his feet just outside the area - a possible six red cards that day?

[bobby s]

Forgot to mention that Fraserburgh`s 3 red cards on Saturday is the 25th time a Scottish side has finished with 7 or 8 players on the field as a result of sendings off.

I was at that game on Saturday. Thoroughly entertaining it was too.

[LEATHERSTOCKING]

Can anyone confirm Stevie Ross`s cards total that day? And he`d made almost 200 appearances for Queen`s too! Welcome back to Hampden & cheerio!

[GMartin]

Broxburn Athletic have been involved in some controversial matches recently, up at West Calder they finished with 7/8 men, then more recently at Harthill, no fewer than 3 goalkeepers were sent off (2 Broxburn, 1 Harthill), i think 5 players in total had an early bath that day.

[MadMac]

The missing four claimed they arrived in Glasgow in good time for a connection to Port Glasgow but claimed they had been informed that fog meant delays on the trains and that they would have got no further than Greenock before kick-off and not reached Port Glasgow until after the match had finished.

Something fishy there, as if you're travelling from Glasgow, you get to the Port before Greenock!

[LEATHERSTOCKING]

See thae Ayrshire folk - say anything to stay in a BIG town with lots of refreshment centres.