
League One Alloa handed Premier Sports Cup second-round trip to Rangers
The Wasps – the lowest-ranked team remaining in the tournament – were surprise winners of their group and will face Russell Martin's Gers at Ibrox on the weekend of August 16/17.
Holders Celtic will host newly-promoted Falkirk in one of four all-Premiership ties. The others see Kilmarnock host Dundee United, Livingston at home to Hibernian, and St Mirren play Hearts in Paisley.
St Johnstone, relegated from the top flight last term, will host Motherwell while Aberdeen have been drawn away to Championship side Morton.
There is guaranteed to be at least one second-tier side in the last eight after Championship pair Partick Thistle and Ayr United were pitted together.
St Mirren and Ayr became the last two sides to secure their second-round places on Sunday when Killian Phillips' first-half double set the Paisley men on course for a 2-1 home victory over the Honest Men in Group D.
While the Buddies topped the section, Scott Brown's side also progressed as one of the three best runners-up despite losing their perfect record in the competition against their William Hill Premiership hosts.
Dunfermline had been waiting in the wings hoping to profit from any Saints slip-up or an unlikely nine-goal defeat for Ayr, but their hopes of progressing were dashed by events in Paisley.
The Buddies went ahead after Phillips fired home Roland Idowu's cutback from 15 yards out in the 16th minute, and the recently-capped Republic of Ireland midfielder doubled his tally in the 38th minute when he turned home another Idowu delivery from just outside the six-yard box.
Ayr pulled one back in the 64th minute when Kevin Holt headed home Dom Thomas' corner to ensure a nervy finale for the hosts. Dundee – eliminated after losing their opening two fixtures – were the only top-flight side to fail to make it through the group stage.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Record
5 minutes ago
- Daily Record
How Hamilton Accies' squad looks after transfer embargo
The League One side have less than 20 players to choose from ahead of Saturday's League One opener against Montrose Hamilton Accies' transfer embargo has left the club with just 19 first team players to choose from this season. The League One club were hit by a season-long transfer ban last week for failing to notify the SPFL they had been in default of their tax obligations to HMRC on three occasions and are only allowed to bring in under-19 players or amateurs as part of the sanction imposed. But it is understood the club will not be making any moves to strengthen their squad with youngsters ahead of the big kick-off this weekend at home to Montrose, nor for the foreseeable future. While Accies are still able to field a number of key men from last term, goalkeeper Dean Lyness and Dylan McGowan, who are both contracted until May 2026, will not be able to feature. A Hampden source has told Lanarkshire Live Sport that Hamilton allowed their deals to expire before launching their recent contract extensions with the SFA, meaning they come under 'new registrations' caught by the embargo. Last season's loanees Ricki Lamie and Charlie Telfer - who were offered permanent deals after both being released by Ross County - also can't play. Midfielder Ben Williamson - who was badly injured in a car accident in December - is also not included in this season's squad. Hamilton can promote youngsters from their youth squads but the current pool for the League One campaign - which includes three 16-year-old midfielders in Kayden Aitken, Josh Carson and Aaron Eadie - will be as follows: Goalkeepers: Michael Marks; Jamie Smith Defenders: Tony Gallacher; Stephen Hendrie; Lee Kilday; Kyle MacDonald; Cian Newbury; Fergus Owens. Midfielders: Kayden Aitken, Steven Bradley, Josh Carson, Aaron Eadie, Barry Maguire, Stuart McKinstry, Connor Smith. Forwards: Liam Morgan, Kevin O'Hara, Scott Robinson, Oli Shaw. Players out on loan: Josh Lane (Stranraer, goalkeeper) Neil Stafford (Forfar Athletic, goalkeeper). Accies face Montrose on Saturday in the League One opener and a fan protest is being planned by the Accies Supporters Association outside Broadwood ahead of the clash.


The Sun
5 minutes ago
- The Sun
Wrexham ready to smash transfer record to sign Ipswich star with ‘Championship cheat code' striker, 32, also lined up
WREXHAM are prepared to smash their transfer record to sign Nathan Broadhead from Ipswich. The star-studded promoted Welsh club have made a £7million approach to the Tractor Boys for the winger. 2 Ipswich had no intention to sell Broadhead, 27, this summer but have not ruled out a sale for a good price. Wrexham's previous club record purchase was £2m on striker Sam Smith from Reading earlier this year. But Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are ready to splash the cash following promotion to the Championship. Broadhead has 23 goals and 12 assists in 83 appearances for Town since joining from Everton for £1.5m two years ago. The Red Dragons' desire for a striker has been no secret this season. And they are also interested in signing Wales international Kieffer Moore, who one supporter has labelled a "cheat code". Manager Phil Parkinson confirmed he was on the club's shortlist. He said: "Kieffer's under contract at Sheffield United. He's one of a number of players we've looked at over the summer," Parkinson said. "Like I said, the landscape changes in the transfer market very quickly from one week to the next. "We're looking at lots of options here and abroad." Wrexham have signed goalkeeper Danny Ward, forwards Josh Windass and Ryan Hardie, defender Liberato Cacace, midfielders George Thomason and Lewis O'Brien this summer.


Scotsman
35 minutes ago
- Scotsman
The Hearts overhaul to satisfy fans' demands
SPFL Scottish Premiership season 2025/26 begins at Tynecastle against Aberdeen Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A very different landscape is shaping at Tynecastle Park as Hearts prepare for the 2025/26 William Hill Scottish Premiership. A much-changed first-team squad is assembling under new management with head coach Derek McInnes putting his own specific philosophy and structure in place. It is a necessary overhaul, as any supporter will acknowledge. Rewind to spring time and exasperated Hearts fans saw their side short on various vital attributes as the 2024/25 campaign deteriorated before their eyes. Frustration had built following a catastrophic UEFA Conference League exit last December, followed by a 2-0 lead squandered in stoppage-time at Ross County, successive defeats to Hibs, failure to reach the Premiership top six, and then a Scottish Cup semi-final exit with nine men against Aberdeen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts badly needed more pace, aggression and goal threat for starters. The demands of the Tynecastle public meant action was inevitable. Previous head coach Neil Critchley was sacked and Liam Fox took interim charge, winning the final four league games and earning notable respect from fans in the process. McInnes was then plucked from Kilmarnock as Critchley's permanent replacement. Within a few weeks, the team has taken on a drastically different complexion with seven new signings so far. There is already significantly more of the aforementioned pace, aggression and goal threat. There is also greater work-rate, energy, size, set-piece threat and tactical flexibility. And, crucially, goals are now coming from different sources - centre-backs, full-backs, wingers and strikers. The over-reliance on Lawrence Shankland seems to have been rectified, witness 19 goals scored across four Premier Sports Cup group ties and Saturday's friendly against Sunderland. McInnes has got pretty much everything right so far, although it is important to point out that greater tests lie ahead once the league kicks off. New recruits bring added competition and a different dimension to the Hearts squad. Players like Oxford United loanee Stuart Findlay, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis and Portuguese forward Claudio Braga have already made an impact and can expect to be heavily involved as the season evolves. At least two more new faces will follow as Pierre Landry Kabore and Tomas Bent Magnusson prepare to begin their careers in Scotland. Hearts were today still awaiting final paperwork from the UK Home Office to complete Kabore's transfer from the Estonian club JK Narva Trans. Magnusson is expected to arrive this week to sign a long-term contract after a deal was agreed with his Icelandic side, Valur Reykjavik. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Excitement and anticipation are building in the west of Edinburgh, where fans demand regular European qualification and cup progress from any Hearts team. Fall short of that and both coaches and players will find themselves under increasing pressure. It is a wholly unpleasant experience walking towards the Tynecastle tunnel at full-time as fans brutally unleash their frustration literally yards above on the concourse. Unfortunately, that scene played out too often last season. McInnes is an experienced operator who visited Gorgie enough times as an opposition manager to know the environment, how it works, how to harness it and how it can turn against you. He arrived believing wide players with pace and goals, competitive midfielders and no-nonsense defenders would underpin his Hearts team. He is still piecing together the maroon jigsaw but there is already clear evidence of an astute coach at work. Sky Sports show Hearts v Aberdeen - more transfers to come in Edinburgh Aberdeen visit Tynecastle on Monday evening, McInnes' league debut as Hearts head coach coming against his old club in front of the Sky Sports TV cameras. The Pittodrie side did not take part in the Premier Sports Cup groups as one of Scotland's European entrants, so are behind their hosts in terms of competitive action. It was they who knocked Hearts out in last season's Scottish Cup semi-final, and both teams covet third spot in the league on a yearly basis. A high-octane encounter is guaranteed to start the season. It is possible that only two members of Hearts' starting line-up from that semi-final just over three months ago will be in the team on Monday - Shankland and midfielder Cammy Devlin. Goalkeeper Craig Gordon is injured along with centre-back Jamie McCart, left-back James Penrice was sold to AEK Athens, and Michael Steinwender is likely to be on the bench this time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is unclear whether right-back Adam Forrester will play from the start or if new signing Christian Borchgrevink will be fit. In midfield, Beni Baningime is another injury doubt and Jorge Grant was released in May before joining English club Salford City. Strikers James Wilson and Elton Kabangu may also find themselves on the bench against Aberdeen given Braga's prowess in recent games. All of which underlines the changing face of Hearts. The overhaul is very much central to raising standards, and it's not finished yet.