Premier Sports Cup Archives - Page 2 of 2

Stern Test for The Bairns in League Cup Last 16 Draw

The draw for the League Cup last 16 Round was completed following St Mirren’s 2-1 win over Ayr in Paisley. Holders Celtic will welcome Premiership new boys Falkirk in a repeat of last season’s quarter-final. On that occasion, Brendan Rodgers’ side came from behind twice to seal a thrilling 5-2 victory. Russell Martin’s first domestic cup match as Rangers boss will be at home to League 1 Alloa Athletic. The Wasps topped Group D impressively, securing a maximum 12 points from four wins, including a 3-2 away victory at Airdrie on Saturday afternoon. The draw also features three all-Premiership affairs: St Mirren host Hearts, Hibernian visit Livingston, and Kilmarnock meet Dundee United. A repeat of the Scottish Premiership semi-final playoff is scheduled as Scott Brown takes his Ayr United side to Firhill to face Partick Thistle. Thistle secured four wins out of four in the group stage, including a 3-1 victory over Ross County in Dingwall. Recently relegated St Johnstone will host Motherwell, while Dougie Imrie’s Morton welcome current Scottish Cup holders Aberdeen to Cappielow. All ties are due to take place across the weekend of August 16th – 17th. Full Scottish League Cup Round of 16 Draw Kilmarnock v Dundee United Livingston v Hibernian Partick Thistle v Ayr United St Mirren v Heart of Midlothian Rangers v Alloa Athletic Celtic v Falkirk Greenock Morton v Aberdeen St Johnstone v Motherwell

July 27, 2025

Falkirk Stroll Past Spartans to Seal Last 16 Spot

Falkirk beat The Spartans 4-0 at The Falkirk Stadium this afternoon in their final Premier Sports Cup group stage fixture. Dylan Tait scored in the first half, with Scott Arfield adding a second after the break, before Calvin Miller struck twice to round off an emphatic second-half display. The Bairns entered the match knowing that only a win would keep their hopes of progressing as a seeded team alive. Several sides, such as Premiership rivals Hearts, have already made it through on the maximum 12 points. Team News After the midweek win over Queen’s Park, John McGlynn spoke about rotating between goalkeepers Nicky Hogarth and Scott Bain ahead of the league season. That policy continued today, with the former Celtic stopper returning to the starting line-up in place of Hogarth. McGlynn has yet to confirm his first-choice goalkeeper for next Sunday’s Premiership opener against Dundee United, the club’s first top-flight fixture in 15 years. Also returning to the Bairns’ starting XI were Brian Graham, Tuesday night’s goal scorer, and talisman Scott Arfield. The Spartans needed a win to have any chance of leapfrogging Cove Rangers into second. They made changes themselves, including rotating their goalkeeper with Paddy Martin coming in. There was still no place for Jordan Tapping, who rejoined the club this summer after more than a year out of football in Australia. First Half Falkirk started brightly, particularly through Ethan Ross, who was fresh from scoring twice on Tuesday evening. His pace and delivery caused problems for the Spartans down their right-hand side. The Bairns made their pressure count before the half-hour mark. Brad Spencer whipped in a corner that Brian Graham met with a powerful header. Although his effort was blocked, Dylan Tait reacted quickest and smashed home the rebound. Spartans nearly found an unlikely equaliser late in the half when Liam Henderson misjudged a cross and almost diverted it into his own net, the ball skimming just over the bar. The score remained 1–0 at the break despite Falkirk’s dominance. Second Half That changed early in the second half. Arfield raced through one-on-one with Paddy Martin on the left side of the box and coolly slotted the ball beneath the Spartans’ goalkeeper to double the lead. Moments later, Arfield turned provider. The former Rangers midfielder fizzed a low cross into the box, where Keelan Adams pounced. His shot was blocked on the line, but Calvin Miller followed in to bundle the ball over and seal a comfortable win for Falkirk. Bain would make an excellent save to deny Bradley Whyte to ensure his competitive clean sheet record with the Bairns remained intact. Substitute Alfredo Agyeman turned provider for Miller’s second and Falkirk’s fourth. The Ghanaian picked up the ball on the left wing and delivered a pinpoint cross onto the foot of Miller, who volleyed it home. Falkirk had a couple of chances for a fifth, and a few penalty shouts were waved away, but the match finished 4-0 to the hosts, who advanced to the last 16. Despite their unbeaten group record, the Bairns go into the next stage unseeded, with Hearts, St Johnstone and Partick Thistle all joining the five Scottish European representatives as the seeded sides after finishing their groups on the maximum 12 points. Falkirk will now turn their attention to their Premiership return against Dundee United this weekend, while the Spartans will return to League 2 action against Lowland League winners East Kilbride. Attendance: 2,312

July 26, 2025

Premier Sports Cup: Hearts Cruise Past Dumbarton to Secure Seeded Knockout Spot

Hearts continued their impressive Premier Sports Cup showing with a win over Scottish League Two side Dumbarton at Tynecastle this evening. The Jambos finished their group stage campaign with a perfect 12 points from four games and progress to the knockout rounds as a seeded team. Dumbarton, entering a new era under Canadian owner Mario Lapointe and signing 16 new players, came into the match off the back of a heavy defeat to Dunfermline. Amongst the new arrivals at Dumbarton was former Hearts forwards Ally Roy, who started at the ground he began his career at. The hosts got proceedings underway, shooting towards the travelling Dumbarton support, and dominated the early stages, Lawrence Shankland going close within the first minute. Dumbarton’s Irish defender, Gordon Walker, produced a crucial early interception to deny Hearts, but the breakthrough came midway through the first half. Club captain Shankland met a pinpoint Stephen Kingsley cross with a diving header past Dumbarton keeper Shay Kelly, the 18-year-old younger brother of Rangers stopper Liam. Hearts killed off any chance of an upset just before half-time. A Sander Kartum corner was nodded home by Michael Steinwender, breaking the resolve of Dumbarton’s stubborn defence. In the second half, Scott Tomlinson rattled the crossbar for the visitors after beating Kingsley, as the Sons pushed for an unlikely comeback. But Hearts extinguished any remaining hope when new signing Alexandros Kyziridis burst into the penalty area and drove a low effort across Kelly into the net. The Greek winger now has two goals in two games as the Jambos look to bounce back from last season’s disappointing campaign, with signs of smart summer business under new boss Derek McInnes. Hearts hit four for the fourth consecutive Premier Sports Cup match with another new signing Claudio Braga, tapping home a Cammy Devlin cut back. Hearts would continue to threaten for a fifth while Dumbarton huffed and puffed for some rare up field ventures. Both sides would make numerous changes as the game petered out. Hearts finish the group with four wins from four and look back to their best ahead of their Premiership opener against Aberdeen. The Jambos looking to return to the top-six this year and push for a European return. Dumbarton now travel to Hamilton knowing only a win and a huge goal swing from Dunfermline would see them progress. Dunfermline take on the group’s basement side Stirling in their final fixture. Dumbarton return to League Two this year and kick off their campaign against Clyde at the Marbill Coaches Stadium a week on Saturday as they look to return to the third tier at the first time of asking.

July 23, 2025

Brian Graham Seals Comeback Win as Bairns Edge Past Queen’s Park

Back-to-back promotion winners Falkirk continued their preparations for their return to Scottish football’s topflight this evening by hosting Queen’s Park in the Premier Sports Cup. Both sides were in the Championship last season, but with very different fortunes, the Bairns securing the second of two successive promotions, while Queen’s fell into freefall following their famous victory over Rangers at Ibrox. The Spiders won just once in 13 Championship games after that shock win against their Glasgow rivals. Falkirk began their Premier Sports Cup campaign with a big win over Brechin City but followed it up with a disappointing draw away to Cove Rangers, though they did secure the bonus point on penalties against the Aberdeenshire side. Queen’s, on the other hand, had played two group fixtures already, losing away to The Spartans before comfortably defeating Highland League side Brechin in their second outing. Both teams still had everything to play for heading into kick-off. The hosts got us underway, wearing their change kit and shooting towards the Kevin McAllister Stand. Falkirk dominated the early stages without creating anything clear-cut, and they were punished as the visitors took the lead, Josh Fowler tapping home at the back post after a fine initial save from Nicky Hogarth, who had denied Charlie Fox’s diving header. The goal seemed to rattle the Bairns, and Queen’s almost doubled their advantage soon after. Fowler won the ball with some tenacious pressing on the byline, but the angle was too tight, and Hogarth managed to block. Falkirk drew level right before the break after a lung-bursting counterattack from Ethan Ross. He laid the ball off to Calvin Miller, whose shot was blocked, but Ross was on hand to poke the ball past Callum Ferrie and restore parity. After the interval, the Bairns completed the turnaround. A back-post cross from the left found Ross MacIver, and the target man cushioned his header back across goal, where Ross was waiting to double his tally. Sebastian Drozd, the Spiders’ Ibrox hero, had a huge chance to level the match, finding himself clean through inside the Falkirk penalty area, but the former Millwall man lost his composure and could only find the side netting. Both sides had late chances, with Brian Graham, on as a substitute, notably missing two great opportunities. However, the former Partick Thistle player-manager atoned for his earlier wastefulness by tapping home a deflected Scott Arfield effort at the back post to secure the points for the Bairns. Graham’s finish put the back-to-back title winners back on track for progression to the knockout stages of the Premier Sports Cup. Queen’s Park now travel north to Cove knowing anything less than a win will end their cup hopes while Falkirk can now breathe a little easier after their Cove Rangers draw as they host The Spartans in their final game where a win will be enough to see them top the table. Attendance: 2,387

July 23, 2025

On Par: Neil Lennon’s Men Find Their Rhythm Against Sons

Dumbarton continued their Premier Sports Cup campaign this afternoon with a home fixture against William Hill Championship side Dunfermline Athletic. The visitors, managed by former Celtic boss Neil Lennon, arrived at the Marbill Coaches Stadium following a narrow defeat to Hearts in their group stage opener, while Dumbarton entered the contest on the back of a midweek win over Stirling Albion. Team News Sons manager Stevie Farrell made four changes to the starting XI, introducing Ollie Ecrepont, Cammy Clark, Kai Kirkpatrick, and Leighton McIntosh. Dropping out were Shay Kelly, Adam Livingstone, Tony Falconer, and Ally Roy. Lennon made just one change from the team that faced Hearts, with Lucas Fyfe replacing Alfons Amade. Kyle Benedictus seemed to operate as a sweeper in a throwback role within Lennon’s system. First Half – Early Sons Pressure But Pars Take Control Dunfermline started the match on the front foot, dominating possession during the early stages. However, Dumbarton created the first real opportunities, with Clark and Morgyn Neill both forcing saves from visiting goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet. Despite that positive spell, it was the visitors who opened the scoring midway through the first half. Josh Cooper found space on the edge of the box and curled a precise effort beyond Ecrepont to give the Pars the lead. Dunfermline nearly doubled their advantage soon after, with chances falling to Kane Ritchie-Hosler, Chris Kane, and John Tod, but the home defence stood firm to keep the score at 1–0. On the stroke of half-time, the visitors made it two. Ewan Otoo burst down the left and cut the ball back across the box. Cooper dummied cleverly, allowing Kane to arrive late and smash home a powerful strike, leaving Dumbarton two goals down at the interval. Second Half – Clinical Finishing Seals the Win The second period began with another blow for Dumbarton. Substitute Andrew Tod, returning from an injury layoff, broke through the defence and rounded Ecrepont with composure before finishing into an empty net to make it 3–0. The game settled into a scrappier rhythm thereafter, with fewer clear chances and a number of fouls disrupting the flow. Dunfermline completed the scoring late on, as Cooper grabbed his second of the match with a well-taken back-post volley following an excellent delivery from the right. Aron Lynas came off the bench for Dumbarton to replace Neill and marked his 100th appearance for the club in the closing stages. Post-Match Reaction The result marked a strong response from Dunfermline following their midweek bounce game against Rangers, and Lennon’s side now look ahead to Tuesday’s home match against Hamilton Accies as they aim to keep pace with group leaders Hearts. Speaking after the match, Lennon reflected on the performance and the importance of progressing in the competition. He said: “We showed plenty of respect to Dumbarton and played the game accordingly. “It was a great team performance, and you can see glimpses of what we’re trying to do now. “It could’ve been a lot more but there’s still lots to work on, but my players looked good.” For Dumbarton, the focus now shifts to another challenging test next weekend away to William Hill Premiership side Hearts, before the League Two season begins in August. Manager Stevie Farrell acknowledged the quality of the opposition and emphasised the value of the experience for his players. He said: “They’re a very good side and I was very impressed with them. “I watched their hearts game back and I thought they were really good, we knew we were going to face a really good side today. “We started the game really well in the first ten minutes. If we take one of our chances you just never know. But ultimately, we didn’t deserve to win the game. “The second half, I thought we were going to be a bit stronger. But we got more out of that today than we did against Stirling on Tuesday night. “It’s the type of test the boys needed and we’ll have another one next week at Tynecastle.”

July 20, 2025

Buddies Run Riot: St Mirren Hit Eight Past Helpless Annan

St Mirren kicked off their competitive home season in spectacular fashion after netting eight goals against Annan Athletic. Stephen Robinson’s side came out firing, securing a three-goal lead within the first ten minutes. Killian Phillips bagged two early goals before Mikael Mandron smashed home Fraser Taylor’s through ball. The Buddies controlled the opening exchanges, link-up play from Ayunga, Mandron, and Phillips constantly troubling the visitors’ defence. Conor McMenamin was a constant threat on the right hand side, hitting the crossbar with a left-footed strike before firing wide from the edge of the box. Annan’s 84 travelling fans finally had something to celebrate in the 38th minute when Miles Gaffney latched onto a through ball and slotted past Ryan Mullen in the St Mirren goal. St Mirren started the second half brightly with Declan John forcing an early save from the onrushing Gio Clarke. However, it was Annan who would strike next, Miles Gaffney headed in his 2nd of the afternoon to give the Saints a wakeup call. The home side responded well to the setback. The ever-present Killian Phillips won a penalty which summer signing Richard King powerfully converted. Fraser Taylor spent last season on loan at Arbroath but was a standout in St Mirren’s midfield, his extensive passing range constantly stretching the Annan defence. Robinson spoke post match about Taylor’s ability to dictate a game, choosing to implement him in a deeper number 6 position. St Mirren finished the second half on top, surpassing their first-half tally with four goals in the final ten minutes. Mandron met Declan John’s low cross to make it five before Jayden Richardson drilled home the sixth on his home debut. Mandron completed his hat-trick with a low finish before substitute Ronald Idowu made it an incredible eight. This victory solidifies St Mirren’s top spot in Group D, they welcome Scott Brown’s Ayr United next Sunday. For Annan, 14 goals conceded in their last two games and significant work ahead as Willie Gibson’s men return to League 2. Teams St Mirren: (3-5-2) Mullen, Fraser, Gogic (Iacovitti 62’), King, Tanser (John 46’) , McMenamin (Richardson 62’), O’Hara, Taylor, Phillips (Scott 62’), Mandron, Ayunga (Idowu 46’) Bookings: Mandron 19’ Idowu 80’ Annan Athletic: (4-2-3-1) Clarke, Gilmour, Todd, Gibson, R. Muir, A. Smith, McGowan, Deveney (Maxwell 64’), Smith, Gaffney (Carmichael 81’), Craik Bookings: Gibson 80’ Attendance: 2,164

July 19, 2025

Premier Sports Cup