Stirling Albion’s Premier Sports Cup campaign continues on Saturday with a trip to face Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park.
The Binos kicked off Group A with a 2-1 win at Dumbarton last weekend thanks to goals from debutant Robert Thomson and Kieran Moore.
Darren Young’s men were the odd team out in midweek when Aberdeen saw off Dumbarton 2-0 at Pittodrie and Raith Rovers thrashed Peterhead 6-0 in Kirkcaldy.
Jack Leitch will miss the trip to Stark’s Park and the game comes too soon for former East Fife midfielder Ross Davidson but ex-Shotts striker Danny Burns could return to the squad.
Young said: “I thought we played very well against Dumbarton and thoroughly deserved to win.
“We are in a tough section with Raith Rovers and Aberdeen coming up but it’s definitely a boost to be going into those games on the back of three points.”
It’s the start of a big week for Stirling, who host Aberdeen at Forthbank on Tuesday and conclude their group games at home to the Blue Toon a week tomorrow.
First up is a meeting with Rovers, who have a new manager in Ian Murray following John McGlynn’s move to Falkirk earlier in the summer. The sides last met in 2020/21 when the Kirkcaldy club won 2-0 in a Scottish Cup tie that was played behind closed doors at Forthbank due to Covid restrictions.
Albion’s last victory over Rovers was in a First Division match in October when Chris Aitken and Gordon Smith got the goals in a 2-0 success under then manager John O’Neill.
Their last visit to the Fife venue was nine years ago this month when Jordan White netted for the Binos in a 2-1 Challenge Cup defeat.
The visit of Aberdeen on Tuesday will be the first match on the new Forthbank pitch following work over the summer.
Jim Goodwin’s men are strong favourites to top the section and this is the first time the Dons have been involved in the group stage since the competition was revamped in 2016/17.
It will be the first meeting of the teams in a competitive fixture for a quarter of a century – in September 1997 Aberdeen won 2-0 at Forthbank in a League Cup quarter-final after Kevin Drinkell’s side had stunned Kilmarnock 6-2 in a third-round tie the previous month.
All group games in the Premier Sports Cup that end level after 90 minutes are followed by a penalty shoot-out, with the winners awarded a bonus point.
The group stage concludes next weekend, with the eight winners and three best runners-up joining Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dundee United and Motherwell in the last 16 at the end of August.
