John Beaton appointed referee for Hibs v Celtic Premier Sports Cup final

John Beaton will referee the Premier Sports Cup final between Hibs and Celtic, the Scottish FA has announced.

Referee John Beaton awarded a penalty against Ryan Porteous at Easter Road when Hibs faced Rangers

He will be the man in the middle for the Hampden showpiece on December 19, with Graeme Stewart and Calum Spence as his assistants running the line. Greg Aitken has been appointment as fourth official for the match, which kicks off at 3pm.

Beaton was in charge of the recent Hibs v Rangers cinch Premiership match at Easter Road.

He awarded the visitors a late penalty for a trip by Ryan Porteous on Ryan Kent, securing a 1-0 win for the Glasgow side.

Martin Boyle scored a hat-trick as Hibs won 3-1 in their semi-final against Rangers to book their spot in the final while Celtic edged out St Johnstone.

Both sides have big games to contend with before the final, with Celtic taking on Real Betis in the Europa League this week, then Motherwell and Ross County.

Hibs face Livingston, St Mirren and Dundee.