For the first time in 23 years, the Scottish player of the year will be from a team other than Celtic or Rangers.

The shortlist for the award was published by the Scottish Professional Footballers’ Association yesterday and included players from less fancied sides.

The last time a player from outside Scotland’s dominant ‘Old Firm’ duo won the award was when Aberdeen player Jim Bett was crowned in 1990.

It was unlikely that any Rangers player would make this year’s shortlist after they were demoted to the bottom rung of Scottish football having collapsed under a pile of debt last season.

They have won the Division Three championship this term.

However, it is a surprise that no Celtic player is in the running after they romped to a 44th Scottish league championship by beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Sunday.

Hibernian’s Leigh Griffiths, Motherwell’s Michael Higdon, Aberdeen’s Niall McGinn and Andrew Shinnie, of Inverness, made up this year’s shortlist.

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