Latest news with #ScottishChallengeCup
Scotsman
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Former Hibs player set for Wigan Athletic transfer as he chooses EFL over Premiership rival
The latest transfer news from the Premiership as a former Hibs midfielder looks set to move to England. Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A former Hibs midfielder is reportedly close to snubbing a contract offer from one Premiership rival to join English League One club Wigan Athletic. Fraser Murray came through the youth ranks at Hibs and made his mark early with a goal in a 3-0 Scottish Challenge Cup win against Highland League side Turriff United in September 2016, before making his league debut against Raith Rovers later in the same season. Murray's progress was rewarded with a new deal in October 2018 as he racked up 17 senior appearances - but his first consistent experience of first-team football came during a loan spell with Championship club Dunfermline Athletic during the 2020/21 campaign. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Murray joined Kilmarnock on a permanent deal a the end of the same season and the former Scotland youth international has gone on to make over 120 appearances for the Rugby Park club over the last five years. After scoring four goals and providing three assists in 39 games in all competitions last season, Murray has attracted attention from clubs in both England and Scotland after his current contract with Killie comes to a close. Wigan Today have reported the Latics are set to see off competition from a number of their League One rivals plus Scottish clubs like Kilmarnock, who hoped to get him on a new contract. The likes of Barnsley, Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County were all said to be keen on a deal for Murray. Head coach Ryan Lowe was reportedly at Kilmarnock's penultimate game of the season as they fell to a 3-0 defeat at Motherwell and appears to have seen enough from Murray during an 89-minute display to convince him to make the 26-year-old his first signing of the summer. The report also claims Wigan are looking to complete a second swoop on the Premiership and are keen on a deal for Ross County forward Ronan Hale - but will reportedly face competition from clubs in England and Scotland. Your next Hibs read: Former Hibs star eyed for Juventus transfer as Serie A giants grant 'green light' to make bumper advances
Scotsman
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
SPFL competition to undergo major revamp with new trophy, sponsor, B teams and record prize pot
UEFA-style league format to be implemented from next season Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Scottish Challenge Cup, traditionally contested by lower league teams beneath the Premiership, has secured a new sponsor ahead of undergoing a major revamp next season. The competition previously labelled the SPFL Trust Trophy will now be known as the KDM Evolution Trophy after the Scottish Professional Football League agreed a multi-year deal with construction firm KDM Group. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A brand new trophy will also be up for grabs as well as a record prize pot of £1.25million - an increase of more than 50 per cent on this year - with the tournament winners pocketing £150,000. The SPFL has released the logo for the KDM Evolution Trophy, which will replace the SPFL Trust Trophy for next season. | SPFL Changes to the competition format were confirmed earlier this year which will feature an opening round league phase, inspired by UEFA's new club competition format, as well as the inclusion of Premiership B teams. The league phase will comprise 30 clubs made up of the 10 League One, 10 League Two and 10 Premiership B teams in a move geared towards providing more opportunities for younger players, with the age limit on participation reduced to 15-years-old. Clubs participating in the league phase of the competition will be split into three pots by division and regionalised into North and South sections, with points gained by clubs across six league phase matches fed into a single league table. The top 22 clubs will then qualify for the knock-out Round of 32, when Championship sides enter as seeded clubs alongside those finishing in the top six of the league phase. The remainder of the competition then follows a traditional knock-out format. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Livingston are the current cup holders, having defeated Queen's Park 5-0 in the final at Falkirk Stadium back in March. 'Positive news for all 42 clubs' Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPFL, said: 'We are really pleased to welcome KDM Group as the title sponsor for the KDM Evolution Trophy from season 2025/26, and to announce a significant rise in prize money for next season's competition. 'KDM Group is a highly-respected and well-established firm in Scotland, the UK and beyond, and have already demonstrated a passion for Scottish football. They have a proud history of supporting our national sport and this long-term deal is really positive news for all 42 member clubs. 'We're confident the new competition format will help develop some of our most promising players across the country. Allowing players to compete at a high level from the age of 15 will pay dividends for them, for their clubs and ultimately, for the national side." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Livingston won this season's SPFL Trust Trophy after defeating Queen's Park in the final. The competition has been rebranded to the KDM Evolution Trophy from next season. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group The inaugural KDM Evolution Trophy gets underway with the opening round of league phase fixtures on the midweek of Tuesday, August 12 and Wednesday, August 13. Iain Jones, Chief Executive of KDM Group, said: "We're incredibly proud to support the launch of this exciting new football competition and to see the KDM Evolution Trophy come to life. The name reflects the evolution of our business, from a small shopfitting company to a leading international brand. It mirrors the journey of this tournament and the aspiring players it supports. Our investment in football spans all levels of the game, from grassroots to the professional stage. 'Through our KDM Group Soccer Centres, we provide primary-aged schoolgirls access to the game whilst having fun, helping to grow the game from the ground up. We've previously been the official partner of the Scottish Cup and are proud sponsors of the Scotland Women's National Team & Dunfermline Athletic FC. This new tournament is another step forward, providing a platform for talent to grow and evolve, just as we have." Prize money breakdown The full breakdown of prize monies for the KDM Evolution Trophy is as follows: Winner - £150,000 Runner up - £100,000 Losing semi-finalists - £75,000 Losing quarter-finalists - £50,000 Round of 16 losers - £40,000 Round of 32 losers - £30,000
BBC News
22-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Candystripes sign defender Holt from Dundee United
Derry City have brought in Kevin Holt on a two-year deal from Dundee United for an undisclosed 32-year-old defender scored four goals in 29 appearance for the Scottish Premiership side this began his career with boyhood club Queen of the South, helping them to Scottish Challenge Cup success in left-sided defender also lined out for the other Dundee before stints at Cypriot First Division sides Pafos and Ermis Aradippou either side of a Queen of the South settled with Partick Thistle and was a senior figure in their journey to the Premiership play-off final in 2023, which earned him the move to Dundee United that move to League of Ireland side Derry is subject to international clearance.
