And… breathe. Yet more goals, yet more drama. The Scottish football 2025/26 season is proving to be a classic campaign, with the positions at both ends of the table set to go down to the wire. 

The weekend began on Saturday afternoon, with three fixtures to choose from. There was a clash at the bottom of the table as Dundee welcomed Livingston. Both teams in torrid form, and filling two of the three bottom positions, there was little margin for error. Yet, with Dundee 12 points in front, the onus was on the visitors to cause an upset. With such a large margin and so few games remaining, every coughed-up opportunity feels like an extra whimper from an already sinking ship, hanging on for dear life. Livingston had been more competitive in their two matches since Marvin Bartley took over, with narrow 2-1 losses to Falkirk and Celtic but any competitive comfort dissipated in the first five minutes. Simon Murray bagged an early brace, with the Lions already fearing the worst. They could’ve folded, yet to their credit, they responded with a quick-fire double, with Lewis Smith and Scott Pitman getting on the scoresheet. Stephen Robinson’s St Mirren have uncharacteristically found themselves in a relegation scrap and faced the tough task of a trip to Easter Road. The Hibees bounced back from midweek heartache with a routine 2-0 victory. Finally, Falkirk hosted Dundee United, with the visitors looking to put an end to a four-game losing streak. It was a back-and-forth game with goals aplenty. Ultimately, the extra man advantage would pay off for the visitors, thanks to a late strike from Julius Eskesen.

It was the Super-Sunday style fixture card the following day, which had been brewing with anticipation. Hearts, Celtic and Rangers were all in action, with the aforementioned and latter facing each other in a thriller at Ibrox. Motherwell also faced Aberdeen, with Jens Berthel Askou’s men continuing the momentum, completing their fourth win in five games. The expectation heading into the weekend was that Celtic would comfortably beat 11th-place Kilmarnock and see how the top 2(having played a game extra) would pan out. Yet the Hoops trailed by two at the break. Inspired substitutions Alex-Oxlade Chamberlin, Tomas Cvancara and Sebastien Tounetki proved a masterstroke move from Martin O’Neill will all three having an impact and the latter two directly contributing to the reigning Champions’ late surge. With a dramatic 3-2 victory, all attention turned to Ibrox, where Rangers would make a huge statement, twice coming from behind to defeat the league leaders by four goals to two.

A breathtaking weekend of action, so let’s digest five talking points from it:

St Mirren Are Well and Truly in a Relegation Scrap

It’s a testament to Stephen Robinson’s managerial ability that such a conversation has become alien since he took over four years ago. In three full seasons, they have reached the top 6 each time. It’s an all but impossible task now though, with seven games before the split and a sixteen-point gulf to Falkirk in sixth. Instead, they will be looking over their shoulders, just three points ahead of Kilmarnock, albeit with a game in hand. Injuries have not been kind to them, make no mistake, but key personnel are returning now. As the Northern Irishman put it, “When we have those three bodies back (Mark O’Hara, Keanu Baccus and Jonah Ayunga) they epitomise what we’re about. We haven’t been St Mirren for eight weeks.” Their inclusion will no doubt help. Yet, no team is too good to avoid the relegation zone. Countless times in history, the feeling has been that a team will, in the end, be safe due to past results and performances clouding the present. The reality is that unless improvement happens and soon, the Paisley Saints are under severe pressure. Yet, the irony in all this is that should they manage it, all will be forgotten, as they have already made history this season by lifting the Premier Sports Cup in a historic win against Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic. 

 Celtic Must Find Easier Ways to Win

Celtic needed until the 97th minute to secure the three points away to Kilmarnock at the weekend. It came just four days after a 91st minute winner against Livingston for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and a 97th minute Scottish Cup equaliser against Dundee for Junior Adamu. All three opponents sit in 10th to 12th position in the table. Other late winners this season include a Callum McGregor strike at St Mirren, a Daizen Maeda header against Motherwell, a Kelechi Iheanacho penalty at Rugby Park and a Luke McCowan deflection on the opening day against St Mirren. Of course, it’s better to score late than not, but the idea that it’s the sign of Champions is slightly deceiving. Top teams can find a way to win when they aren’t playing at their best. This is true. Yet, this must be the exception, not the norm. The issue as of late is that the Hoops haven’t been doing the convincing winning as well. Simply, if performances don’t improve, results will fall. Martin O’Neill said as much after the game, “ If that’s the way you have to win the games, though, if you have to win them like that, you just can’t keep doing that.”

Youssef Chermiti’s Big Game Hat-trick Causes Dilemma 

When Rangers signed a striker who had scored 3 senior career goals for a fee of £8 million, eyebrows were rightly raised. When that same player took to the park only to look clumsy and unsure, these sentiments were only amplified. For much of his early Rangers career, that has been the story. He has failed to influence games, with his all-round play being so below par. Yet, in two of the biggest games of the season, away to Celtic and home to Hearts, he has come up with five massive goals. Come the end of the season, the impacts of these moments could very well prove to justify the hefty price tag. It gives Danny Rohl a future headache. Does he stick with the man who can produce a big moment, even if his sparks of brilliance are so sparse?

Celtic Must Sign on Loan Fullbacks

Marcelo Saracchi and Julian Auraujo have proved excellent loan deals for Celtic so far this season. Both have scored their first goals in Green and white in the past week, yet it’s only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what they bring. Saracchi has been injured for much of the season but has proved an incredible deputy to Kieran Tierney when called upon. While his attacking numbers haven’t matched the Scot’s, his overall drive and intensity mean on the eye-test he has been just as good and if not better than the man who returned from Arsenal on loan, at least on a consistency level. With Alistair Johnson out till at least the next international break, Araujo has fitted in seamlessly. So much so that even upon the Canadians’ return, you’d be surprised if he walks straight back into the starting lineup. It’s easy to forget just how precarious a situation Celtic were in a couple of months ago, with the inexperienced Colby Donovan and sub-par Anthony Ralston exchanging appearances. With forward planning in mind – not something the current Celtic board has proved aware of – the Celtic transfer department should be looking to tie down at least one, if not two of them permanently. It may come at a financial cost, especially for Auraujo, who represents Bournemouth, but it would go a long way in strengthening the squad for next season.

Can Dundee United Sneak a Top Six Finish?

Jim Goodwin has challenged his Dundee United side to go on a winning run and secure a place in the top six. It’s a tall ask for a side that have still to register back-to-back wins. Especially, considering Falkirk have been able to do just that, three times to be exact. Yet, the ceiling of this Dundee United team has made their current point total somewhat of a headscratcher. The Tangerines have beaten Celtic, twice drawn with Rangers and picked up a draw at Tynecastle in a game which they can count themselves unlucky not to have picked up more.  Yet, the sign of a team is their floor and not their ceiling, a problem that Goodwin has struggled with throughout his management career. It’s a pattern that will need to be fixed if an unlikely turnaround is to happen.