Tennents Soccer Sixes
Page created: 20 July 2020
Updated: 28 February 2021
The Tennents' Sixes was an annual indoor tournament contested
each January by Premier Division clubs. The tournament was sponsored by Tennent Caledonian Breweries and organised by the Scottish
Football Association. When the Brewery withdrew their sponsorship after the
1993 event, the Sixes was discontinued.
The format used was
dependent on the number of teams participating: in most cases ten teams were
involved and would be drawn into two groups of five. sometimes
there were four groups of three. From there the leading teams from each group
would contest the knockout stages.
The inaugural
tournaments were contested at Coasters Arena in Falkirk and at Ingliston Showground near Edinburgh. From 1986 all the
tournaments were played at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in
Glasgow.
Before the real
thing started they held an amateur tournament so that the referees and TV
people could all have a live rehearsal and sort out all the technical problems.
Back then Robert
Watson, now secretary of Wishaw Juniors, was secretary of an amateur team from Carstairs called Monteith
Amateurs - who were the South of Scotland Amateur Cup holders and were invited
to take part.
The West, East and
Scottish Amateur Cup holders were all invited too and also the Strathclyde
Police team. Monteith played in the first game
against the Police.
One of the teams
couldn't turn up and because the organisers were a team short on the day and
they had asked Falkirk High School FP's to make up the numbers. All the teams
were supposed to bring 10 or 12 players but they turned up with about 20
players and were allowed to use them all - so basically they had a constant
supply of fresh players and ran the legs of everyone else and won the
tournament.
Robert further
relates: It was all a bit of fun really but a good experience for our wee
village team. I do remember freezing all the way there and back because the
heater on my old Ford Granada had packed in and it was the middle of winter
with snow and ice everywhere.
Winners |
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1983-84
Rangers 1984-85
Heart of Midlothian 1985-86
Aberdeen |
1986-87
Aberdeen 1987-88
Dundee 1988-89
Rangers |
1989-90
Hibernian 1990-91
Heart of Midlothian 1991-92
Celtic 1992-93
Partick Thistle |
1983-84 Tennents Soccer Sixes 16
& 17 Jan 1984 at Coasters Arena, Falkirk. Attendance 4,000 Each
club received 3,000GBP for appearing. 3
group winners plus best 2nd place qualify. The final group games and ko stages took place on the second day. Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
* Dundee United v St Mirren - St Mirren won 3-2
on pens Semi-final Rangers v Motherwell 2-1 Dundee v Dundee United 4-2 Final Rangers v Dundee 6-4 |
1984-85 Tennents Soccer Sixes 20
& 21 Jan 1985 at Ingliston Showground Group 1
Group 2
* Aberdeen v Dundee United - Aberdeen won 3-2
on pens * Aberdeen v Heart of Midlothian - Hearts won 3-2 on
pens * Heart of Midlothian v Dundee United - Hearts won 3-1 on
pens Semi-final Morton v Aberdeen 5-1 Heart of Midlothian v Dundee 4-1 Final Heart of Midlothian v Morton 4-1 |
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1985-86 Tennents Soccer Sixes 19
& 20 Jan 1986 at SECC, Glasgow. Attendance 5,200 Each
club received GBP7,000 for appearing. GBP10,000
was awarded to the winners and GBP1500 to Aberdeen as top scorers Group 1
*
Dumbarton v Dundee 0-0 – Dumbarton won 4-3 on pens *
Dundee v Heart of Midlothian 1-1 - Dundee won 4-3 on pens Group 2
* Aberdeen v Hibernian - Hibernian won 4-3 on
pens * Hibernian v Motherwell - Hibernian won on 6-5
pens * Clydebank v Motherwell - Clydebank won on 4-3
pens Semi-final Aberdeen v Dumbarton 1-0 St Mirren v Hibernian 3-0 Final Aberdeen v St Mirren 3-0 |
1986-87 Tennents Soccer Sixes 18 & 19 Jan 1987 at SECC, Glasgow.
Attendance 7,000 Each club received GBP8,000
for appearing. First prize GBP11,000,
2nd prize GBP9,500. Heart won GBP1,000 as highest scorers with 24 goals Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
* Celtic v St Mirren - Celtic won 3-2 on
pens Quarter-final Hamilton Academical v
Celtic 3-1 Dundee v Dundee United 2-1 Heart of Midlothian v Motherwell 3-3, Hearts won on pens Aberdeen v Falkirk 3-1 Semi-final Aberdeen v Hamilton Academical
1-0 Heart of Midlothian v Dundee 8-1 Final Aberdeen v Heart of Midlothian 4-3 |
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1987-88 Tennents Soccer Sixes 24 & 25 Jan 1988 at SECC, Glasgow.
Attendance both days 8,000 Each club were paid GBP9,000
to compete. First prize total GBP12,000, runner-up
total GBP10,500. Aberdeen awarded GBP1,000 as overall top scorers The Morton manager, Alan McGraw, withheld a
promised GBP100 per man to reach the KO stage after two poor performances on
the Sunday. Group 1
Group 2
* Hearts v Motherwell - Hearts won 3-1 on
pens Group 3
Group 4
Quarter-final Dundee v Dundee United 4-3 Motherwell v Dunfermline Athletic 4-0 St Mirren v Hibernian 2-2, 4-3 pens Aberdeen v Nottingham Forest 1-1, 4-3 pens Semi-final Motherwell v St Mirren 4-2 Dundee v Aberdeen 4-1 Final Dundee v Motherwell 3-2 |
1988-89 Tennents Soccer Sixes 22
& 23 Jan 1989 at SECC, Glasgow. GBP12,000 for each club, winners also get additional GBP4,000,
runners up GBP2,000. Highest scorers win GBP2,000 Group 1
* Celtic v Dundee - Celtic won 4-3 on pens * Dundee v Aberdeen - Dundee won 4-2 on
pens Group 2
* Rangers v Dundee United - Rangers won 5-4
on pens * Motherwell v Hibernian - Motherwell won
4-2 on pens * Motherwell v Hearts - Hearts won 3-2 on
pens * Hibernian v Hearts - Hibernian won 3-1
on pens Semi-final Motherwell v St Mirren 3-0 Rangers v Celtic 3-1 Final Rangers v Motherwell 2-1 |
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1989-90 Tennents Soccer Sixes 28
& 29 Jan 1990 at SECC, Glasgow. Group 1
* Rangers v Dundee - Rangers won 3-1 on pens * Hibernian v Rangers - Hibs won 4-2 on pens * St Mirren v Dundee United - St Mirren won 4-2
on pens * Rangers v Dundee United - Rangers won 3-2
on pens Group 2
Hearts v Motherwell - Motherwell won
3-2 on pens Aberdeen v Celtic - Celtic won 4-2 on pens Celtic v Motherwell - Motherwell won
4-2 on pens Semi-final St Mirren v Motherwell 1-1, 6-5 pens Hibernian v Heart of Midlothian 1-1, 2-1 pens Final Hibernian v St Mirren 2-0 |
1990-91 Tennents Soccer Sixes 20
& 21 Jan 1991 at SECC, Glasgow. GBP12,000 for each club, winners also get additional GBP4,000,
runners up GBP2,000, losing semi-finalists GBP1,000. Group 1
* St Johnstone v Dundee
United - St Johnstone won 4-3 on pens * St Johnstone v Celtic
- St Johnstone won 4-3 on pens Group 2
* Aberdeen v St Mirren - Aberdeen won 4-3
on pens * Airdrieonians v
Aberdeen - Airdrieonians won 3-1 on pens * Airdrieonians v
Dunfermline - Airdrieonians won 4-3 on pens Semi-final Heart of Midlothian v St Johnstone
3-3, 5-4 pens Motherwell v Airdrieonians
5-3 Final Heart of Midlothian v Motherwell 5-2 |
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1991-92 Tennents Soccer Sixes 19
& 20 Jan 1992 at SECC, Glasgow. Group 1
* Celtic v St Johnstone
- Celtic won 3-2 on pens * St Johnstone v Dundee
United - St Johnstone won 10-9 on pens Group 2
Semi-final Celtic v Motherwell 8-5 St Johnstone v Heart of
Midlothian 3-2 Final Celtic v St Johnstone
4-2 |
1992-93 Tennents Soccer Sixes 24
& 25 Jan 1993 at SECC, Glasgow. GBP17,500 for winners Group 1
Group 2
* Partick Thistle v
Hearts - Hearts won 3-2 on pens Semi-final Partick Thistle v St Johnstone 4-3 Airdrieonians v Celtic 4-3 Final Partick Thistle v Airdrieonians 4-3 |