Scottish Challenge Cup final – Falkirk v Hamilton Academical
BBC ALBA – Sunday 1 April 16.00 – 18.00
BBC ALBA will this weekend televise exclusive live coverage of the Ramsdens Cup final between Falkirk and Hamilton Academical.
Coverage of the match from Braidwood Motor Company Stadium in Livingston begins on the channel at 4.00pm, with kick-off at 4.05pm. Coverage will be presented by Calum Macaulay, with commentary from Derek MacKay and Alex O’Henley.
Falkirk’s path to the final included wins over Brechin City, Dundee and East Fife, before a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Annan Athletic secured the Bairns place in the final.
Hamilton also negotiated a tricky route to the final, playing Queen’s Park, Partick Thistle and Morton before a hard-fought 1-0 win over Livingston in the semi-final.
Establishing a favourite for the final is difficult with only two points separating the sides in the First Division, with Falkirk lying third and Hamilton in fourth.
However, it is Falkirk who have had the best of the head-to-head clashes so far in the campaign, with two wins and a draw from their three meetings.
The last meeting of the teams was in February when a Darren Dods headed goal on the stroke of half-time gave Falkirk a 1-0 win at New Douglas Park.
Both teams have also enjoyed plenty of Challenge Cup success in the past, with Falkirk’s last success coming in the 2004-2005 season when they beat Ross County 2-1 in the final – the third occasion the club had lifted the trophy.
Hamilton, meanwhile, have won the cup on two occasions, with their last success almost two decades ago when they beat Morton 3-2 in the final of the 1992-1993 competition.
As well as the live action on the pitch, there will be a package of half-time features involving both sides. At Falkirk, we look at the success of the club’s youth academy in recent years, with manager Steven Pressley, the academy’s technical director, Craig McPherson, plus players Tam Scobbie and Darren Dods giving us their views on the youth set-up.
Over at Hamilton, we hear from the club’s key figures as they plot a quick-fire return to the SPL.
Manager, Billy Reid, captain Alex Neil and vice-chair, Les Gray, explain why they believe Hamilton are heading in the right direction.
The final complements BBC ALBA’s premier sports package, which includes ‘as-live’ coverage of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League every Saturday night, plus exclusive live rugby action from the RaboDirect PRO12 league.
ENDS
For further information please contact Gary McQueen at Media House on 0141 220 6040 or email: gary@mediahouse.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
BBC ALBA is available on the following platforms:
• Freeview 8
• Virgin Media 188
• Sky 168
• Freesat 110
• Live on BBC iPlayer
• 10 hours of content per week is also available to view on demand via the BBC PC iPlayer and the BBC iPlayer on Virgin Media
BBC ALBA is run by MG ALBA in partnership with the BBC. MG ALBA is the operating name of Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig, the Gaelic Media Service. Find out more about MG ALBA and the partnership at www.mgalba.com or visit www.bbcalba.co.uk for scheduling and programme information.
Coverage of Scottish Challenge Cup final is being produced for BBC ALBA by mneTV, one of Scotland’s leading sports production companies. (For further information see www.mnetv.tv).
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Contact: Gary McQueen
Phone: 01412206040
Email: gary@mediahouse.co.uk
Website: http://www.mediahouse.co.uk
