Stranraer kicked out of the Scottish Cup
Stranraer have this evening been kicked out of the year’s Scottish Cup after fielding an ineligible player in their penalty shootout win over Queens Park meaning Queens Park will now face Rangers. Stranraer defeated the Championship side on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Stair Park in their second attempt following the original date being postponed following a waterlogged pitch. A hearing took place following the situation with the League Two side and after conclusion, the SFA confirmed Stranraer were to be dismissed in the seasons competition giving the Spiders’ a lifeline. 17-year-old keeper Lyndon Tas was the player at fault with the Hearts teenager being unregistered ahead of their Scottish Cup showdown. Tas was the man of the moment as he saved a vital penalty from Carlo Pignatiello to advance the hosts into the fifth round. Stranraer signed up the young keeper as Hamilton keeper Josh Lane was recalled days before but as the rule states, when a match is either postponed or abandoned which is being played or replayed, only those who were eligible on the original date can be listed. Lane was the keeper eligible on the date meaning the Hearts academy man wouldn’t have been eligible which meant Stranraer cup run was over with Queens Park being given a second chance and Stranraer have been denied a dream tie at Ibrox. Queens Park will now travel to Ibrox on the 8th of February in the Scottish Cup. Rangers fans won’t want reminded of what happened this round last season as Queens Park stunned the Ibrox crowd with a 1-0 win thanks to Seb Drozd. Rangers will be out for revenge but can the spiders do a repeat this year?
Gassama and Chermiti held onto as Rangers look to push for the title
Rangers have rejected two bids worth to be a total of £23 million for recent summer signings Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti. Rangers have made it clear that both Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti are not up for sale this January, as they look to outrun Hearts and Celtic to the title come May. Chermiti, who was purchased for £8 million by ex-Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell, was potentially on his way to Turkey as giants Fenerbahçe laid down a deal worth to be worth £13 million for the Portuguese striker. The Gers striker has struggled at times so far this season, and with lots of criticism from support earlier on in the season, it looked like it may be a no brainer to accept the deal placed by Fenerbahçe. But with two goals at Celtic Park recently, he looks to have gained some sort of confidence and has made himself Danny Rohl’s first choice number nine. For Djeidi Gassama, he came to Scotland in a deal worth around £2.5 million and with relatively high expectations from a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side. With a great start in Champions League Qualifiers, achieving four goals in six games, the Frenchman’s domestic stats haven’t been as pleasing to the eye. Five goal contributions in 23 games in the league and with many inconsistent performances, some Rangers supporters would have taken the £10 million deal from Monaco in a heartbeat. However, on his day with confidence, Gassama can be a very exciting player to watch, and with Rangers on a roll at the moment, would it have resulted in being a bad decision to get rid of him? That’s not the only speculation in the last 24 hours, recent reports suggest Emmanuel Fernandez is being watched by top scouts across Europe, both Bayern Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund scouts are keeping a close eye on the 6’4 defender who has been progressing game after game for Rangers. It shows how deep Rangers are in this title race, and with Rohl adamant on keeping his difference making players, can Rangers go on to win this thrilling title race?
Livingston to receive six figure boost after Yengi loan deal
Tete Yengi is poised to join Japanese side FC Machida Zelvia, after the West Lothian side received a six-figure loan fee for the Australian striker. He joins the J1 side on loan, and the deal includes an option to buy this summer. The side will kickstart their domestic campaign against Yokohama on February 6th. Livingston manager Davie Martindale praised the “fantastic value” of the move, “I am really excited to see Tete’s growth. I feel the player that walked in our building 2 years ago has now become a much better footballer and an even better person, and we have been a great fit for one another. “He leaves the club on a temporary loan, with all of our best wishes.” “This is a fantastic piece of business for the club, and it’s important that we try to balance the books as best we can. “As a club, we need to be progressing towards sustainability, which has proved very hard the last few years, but player trading will become a huge part of our business model moving forward.”
