21/09/2009

The Week in Scottish Football

It's quite a busy week for clubs across the country as the Third round of the Scottish League Cup takes place.

Before all that though, there's some league business to take care of. Berwick will play their game against Stranraer this Tuesday. The game had been called off following a lorry fire on the M8 last week that also scuppered the Hearts v Kilmarnock game the same day. Berwick are currently second in the Third division - a win for the Wee Rangers would see them overtake Forfar at the top of the league.

Also on Tuesday we have the first group of games in the Third round of the Scottish League Cup, otherwise known as the Co-operative Insurance Cup. With most of the lower division sides already eliminated, it's down to Dundee, Inverness, Ross County and Queen of the South to fly the flag for the SFL.

Dundee take on Aberdeen at Dens Park in a fixture that will see Dee's manager Jocky Scott face one of his old teams. Neither Dundee nor Aberdeen have been playing well this season so far, with disappointing starts to their respective seasons.  Dundee have won the competition three times, the last time in 1974. Aberdeen last won the Cup in 1996, their 5th win in this competition.

Kilmarnock and St Mirren, two sides who have never won this competition but who have both been losing finalists meet for the second time this season. Killie manager Jim Jefferies will be hoping for a better outcome in this game- when the two sides met in the league at the end of August, two goals from Stephen McGinn earned the Buddies all three points.

Hibernian - winners in 2007 - and St Johnstone meet again for the second time in four days. The Hibees beat the Saints in the league on Saturday with goals from Derek Riordan and two from Anthony Stokes.

In the remaining games, Motherwell host Inverness Caley. It'll be a return to one of his former clubs for Caley manager Terry Butcher. Caley have never beaten Motherwell in the League Cup although they've only played each other twice in the competition: in 1999, Motherwell won 1-0, and in 1997, Motherwell came out 4-1 on penalties after the game finished 2-2 in normal time.

Dundee United travel north to Dingwall hoping to continue their good record against Ross County, aka "The Staggies". United have won the last two encounters between the sides (incidentally also in this competition). Ross County won the first game back in August 1998 - they came out 2-0 winners up in Dingwall.

On Wednesday, both halves of the Old Firm are in action. Falkirk are the lucky team to face Celtic, while a repeat of the 2008 Scottish Cup final sees Queen of the South play Rangers. Hearts, whose season has been well below par take on The Pars, Dunfermline.

Full fixture list


Scottish Third Division
Berwick Rangers v Stranraer

Co-operative Insurance Cup
Dundee v Aberdeen (Tue)
Motherwell v Inverness Caley (Tue)
Kilmarnock v St Mirren (Tue)
Hibernian v St Johnstone (Tue)
Falkirk v Celtic (Wed)
Hearts v Dunfermline(Wed)
Queen of South v Rangers (Wed)

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