1999 Scottish Challenge Cup final

1999 Scottish Challenge Cup final

The match programme cover
Event	1999–2000 Scottish Challenge Cup
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Alloa Athletic 4 4
After extra time Alloa Athletic won 5–4 on penalties
Date	21 November 1999
Venue	Excelsior Stadium, Airdrie
Referee	Jim McCluskey (Stewarton)
Attendance	4,043
← 1997 2000 →

The 1999 Scottish Challenge Cup final, also known as the Bell's Challenge Cup final for sponsorship reasons, was a football match between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Alloa Athletic on 21 November 1999 at Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie.^[1] It was the ninth final of the Scottish Challenge Cup since it was first organised in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish Football League.

Both teams progressed through four elimination rounds to reach the final. The match was Alloa Athletic's first national cup final in its 121-year history^[2] whilst it was Inverness Caledonian Thistle's first since the club was founded five years beforehand in 1994.^[3] The tournament was contested by clubs below the Scottish Premier League; Inverness Caledonian Thistle from the First Division and Alloa Athletic from the Second Division.

Alloa led the match 2–1 at half-time but only two minutes after the interval both teams scored to make it 3–2 by the 47th minute. Paul Sheerin scored a second penalty for Inverness in the 56th minute to make the score 3–3 which is how the scoreline remained after 90 minutes, which forced an additional 30 minutes of extra time to be played. Martin Cameron scored his second goal for Alloa in the 104th minute to take a 4–3 lead but was cancelled out when Sheerin completed a hat-trick of goals for Inverness to make it 4–4 and take the game to penalties. Alloa Athletic emerged victorious after winning the shoot-out 5–4.^[4]