Rangers U20 midfielder Josh Jeffries is the first player to get their hands on the IRN-BRU Cup Golden Balls Award after bagging two goals in the first round.
The youngster has been named as the fans' player of the round for his ballsy performance in the 4-0 victory over Stirling University at Forthbank.
More than 5,000 football supporters took part in the vote on IRN BRU’s official Twitter channel (@IrnBruFootball) in which Jeffries came out on top with 39% of the votes.
As the football sponsor with balls, IRN-BRU has created the Golden Balls Award to recognise impressive player performances during each round of the competition.
Following 14 gripping first-round ties, with 60 goals scored in total, the midfielder beat off stiff competition to be shortlisted for the award alongside Celtic's Aidan Nesbitt, as well as Partick Thistle's Kevin Nisbet and Aberdeen's Scott Wright.
Speaking after getting his hands on the Golden Balls Award, Josh said: “I’m absolutely delighted to receive the IRN-BRU Cup Golden Balls Award. It was a tough first-round tie against Stirling University but the team did really well to get the win and it felt good to chip in with a couple of goals.”
Adrian Troy, Head of Marketing at IRN-BRU, said: “The first round of the IRN-BRU Cup had all the ingredients of what makes an exciting cup competition. There were a number of terrific performances, cup upsets and goals scored to whet the fans' appetite, and the new format provided a platform for Scottish football’s rising stars to showcase their skills to a wider audience.
“It was fantastic to see so many fans take part in the online vote to choose the player of the round and we’re delighted to announce Josh as the winner of the Golden Balls Award.”
The first round of the IRN-BRU Cup featured eight Ladbrokes League 2 Clubs, Colts Teams from the each of the Ladbrokes Premiership Clubs, Highland League and Lowland League clubs.
Supporters will be able to vote for their player of round two by visiting @IRNBRUFootball on Twitter. Craig Malcolm from Stranraer, Andy Jackson of Brechin City, Josh Peters from Forfar Athletic and Alan Cook of Stenhousemuir have all been shortlisted for the Golden Balls Award following their performances in the second round.
The poll for choosing the player of round two will be open from 9.00am on Friday 19 August and will close on Monday 22 August at midday.
