Hearts dominant again, one top-flight club in big trouble, free-scorers hit eight goals – Premier Sports Cup
News from the Premier Sports Cup as teams attempt to qualify for the round of 16 alongside Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Dundee United, and Aberdeen
For the third straight Premier Sports Group E game, Hearts scored four goals, virtually guaranteeing their spot in the competition’s round of 16.
At Forthbank Stadium, Derek McInnes’ Jambos easily defeated League 2 opponents Stirling Albion 4-0, fresh off victories against Hamilton Accies 4-0 and Dunfermline Athletic 4-1.
Hearts will only be overtaken if they lose to the Sons and there is an unlikely goal-difference change, as they lead the pool by six points going into their final group game on Wednesday at home against Dumbarton.
Claudio Braga added a second goal with a diving header 10 minutes after defender Craig Halkett put Hearts ahead with a cross from Alexandros Kyziridis in the thirteenth minute.
The Jambos were put on easy street by Kyziridis, who scored his first goal for Hearts seven minutes before halftime. The second half was mainly lackluster, until on 80 minutes, center-half Stuart Findlay scored his second goal in as many games.
After the event, McInnes stated, “I’d like us to be better, but we did some good stuff.” “I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked, but we didn’t have any worries. I wanted us to put a marker at halftime. There are plenty of positive aspects, though, as we lead the group and have scored 12 goals.
Chastening day for Dundee
Alloa destroyed the visitors’ hopes of moving on to the Premier Sports Cup earlier in the day, handing Steven Pressley his second loss as Dundee manager.
Following their loss to Airdrie in their first game, Dundee suffered again another 1-0 loss at the Indodrill Stadium. The game-changing moment occurred halfway through the second half when Luke Graham attempted to clear Steven Buchanan’s shot in the goalmouth but was only able to divert it into his own net.
As a result, Alloa now leads Group C by nine points, three points ahead of Airdrie with one game remaining.
“We weren’t good enough,” Pressley clarified later. “We need reinforcements, as I’ve stated many times, but the truth is that we could do far better today with the players we had on the field. And I accept ownership of that; it is my duty.
“I thought we lacked passion. Some players, in my opinion, need to get more fit. And just our decision-making… we made mistakes on far too many occasions. We must move forward and get better at that.
Mikael Mandron scored a hat-trick as St Mirren defeated Annan 8–2 at home, starting and finishing strong.
St Mirren find their shooting boots
Mandron gave Saints a three-goal lead in nine minutes after Killian Phillips’ double, but trialist Myles Gaffney gave the visitors two goals back before Richard King’s penalty kick on the hour mark.
In the last ten minutes, Stephen Robinson’s team went on a goal-scoring rampage, with Roland Idowu and Jayden Richardson both scoring goals and Mandron finishing his trifecta.
Curtis Main’s double in a 4-0 victory over Arbroath at home put Ayr one point behind Saints with one game remaining in Group D.
Falkirk was held to a goalless draw by Cove in another trip to the North East, meaning they were unable to build on their seven-goal thumping of Brechin. Despite the Bairns earning an additional point from a penalty shootout, the Spartans won 2-0 at Glebe Park to take the lead in Group A.
Stephen O’Donnell scored the lone goal as Motherwell defeated Stenhousemuir at Ochilview to take the lead in Group G. Four minutes before halftime, Callum Slattery struck the bar with a free kick after O’Donnell had had a goal disallowed, and the defender then scored from a back-post corner.
With a 2-0 victory over Brora Rangers at home, Livingston recovered from their Group H loss to Kilmarnock. With six minutes remaining, Zak Rudden headed the second goal, while Danny Wilson started the scoring with an overhead kick shortly after the break.
County win in Dumfries
In a 1-0 victory over Queen of the South at Palmerston, Jay Henderson’s goal in the second half gave Ross County a two-point lead over Group B leaders Partick Thistle.
Jack Leitch’s first-half double helped East Kilbride win 4-1 against Elgin, putting them atop Group F after their unexpected victory over Raith Rovers.
