The 1991 Tennent's Sixes was the eighth staging of the Tennent's Sixes and took place at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow on 20 and 21 January 1991. Rangers did not enter; First Division club Airdrieonians joined nine Premier Division sides.
Heart of Midlothian, managed by Joe Jordan, beat Motherwell 5–2 in the final to win the competition for the second time. Hearts scored 28 of the tournament's 143 goals. John Colquhoun and Airdrieonians' Graham Harvey were joint leading scorers with eight each.
Format and rules Ten clubs were split into two groups of five. Each played four group matches, with the top two in each section progressing to the semi-finals. Group matches lasted 15 minutes; the semi-finals and final lasted 20 minutes. All matches had a two-minute interval.
Three points were awarded for a win in normal time. Drawn matches went to a penalty shoot-out and the shoot-out winner received two points. Penalty shoot-out goals were not included in the tournament's official goals total. Teams level on points were separated by goal difference, then goals scored and the earliest goal scored in the tournament; a coin toss was the final tie-breaker.
Each club named 12 players, with six allowed on the playing area at a time. Substituted players could return later in the match. The new "Fifth Man" rule required two players from each team to remain in the opposition half within five seconds of play restarting. A breach resulted in a penalty unless the offending side had only four players because two were serving sin-bin penalties.
A yellow card meant two minutes in the sin bin without replacement. Deliberately kicking the ball over the perimeter wall and a goalkeeper holding the ball for more than five seconds were also cautionable offences. There was no offside rule.
The official programme said the changes to the points system and opposition-half rule were intended to encourage more open play and more goals. A £10,000 goalscoring fund and £2,000 Fair Play bonus were introduced at the same tournament.
Group stage
Group 1
Team Pld W L GF GA GD Pts Motherwell 4 3 1 13 9 +4 9 St Johnstone 4 3 1 9 13 −4 7 Hibernian 4 2 2 12 11 +1 6 Celtic 4 1 3 12 12 0 3 Dundee United 4 1 3 11 12 −1 3
Team Score Team Date Hibernian 4–3 Celtic 20 January 1991 St Johnstone 2–2St Johnstone won 4–3 on penalties Dundee United 20 January 1991 Hibernian 3–4 Motherwell 20 January 1991 St Johnstone 5–5St Johnstone won 4–3 on penalties Celtic 20 January 1991 Dundee United 6–2 Motherwell 20 January 1991 Hibernian 1–2 St Johnstone 20 January 1991 Dundee United 1–4 Celtic 20 January 1991 Motherwell 5–0 St Johnstone 20 January 1991 Celtic 0–2 Motherwell 21 January 1991 Dundee United 2–4 Hibernian 21 January 1991
Group 2
Team Pld W L GF GA GD Pts Heart of Midlothian 4 3 1 20 9 +11 9 Airdrieonians 4 3 1 17 17 0 7 St Mirren 4 2 2 11 13 −2 6 Dunfermline Athletic 4 1 3 11 14 −3 3 Aberdeen 4 1 3 6 12 −6 2
Team Score Team Date Airdrieonians 5–4 Heart of Midlothian 20 January 1991 Aberdeen 1–1Aberdeen won 4–3 on penalties St Mirren 20 January 1991 Airdrieonians 5–5Airdrieonians won 4–3 on penalties Dunfermline Athletic 20 January 1991 Aberdeen 1–6 Heart of Midlothian 20 January 1991 St Mirren 6–5 Airdrieonians 20 January 1991 Heart of Midlothian 4–2 Dunfermline Athletic 20 January 1991 Airdrieonians 2–2Airdrieonians won 3–1 on penalties Aberdeen 20 January 1991 Dunfermline Athletic 1–3 St Mirren 20 January 1991 Aberdeen 2–3 Dunfermline Athletic 21 January 1991 St Mirren 1–6 Heart of Midlothian 21 January 1991
The group results and shoot-out outcomes are also recorded by the Scottish Football Historical Archive.
Knockout stage
Semi-finals
Team Score Team Date Motherwell 5–3 Airdrieonians 21 January 1991 Heart of Midlothian 3–3Hearts won 5–4 on penalties St Johnstone 21 January 1991
Final
Team Score Team Date Heart of Midlothian 5–2 Motherwell 21 January 1991
Colquhoun and Tosh McKinlay each scored twice in the final.
Prize money The winners received £16,000, the runners-up £14,000 and the losing semi-finalists £13,000 each. Clubs eliminated in the group stage received £12,000. A separate £10,000 fund was divided between clubs according to the number of goals they scored, while £2,000 was awarded to the team with the best disciplinary record.
Challenge match A challenge match was played before the final between Elgin City, holders of the Highland League Cup, and St Patrick's Dumbarton, holders of the Scottish Amateur FA Cup. Elgin City won 9–6.
References
External links Tennent's Soccer Sixes at the Scottish Football Historical Archive