4 – Motherwell thumped Annan Athletic 4-0 to finish their Betfred Cup group stage campaign with a 100% record. Stephen Robinson’s side scored 13 goals and kept four clean sheets out of four, giving them the best overall record in the four seasons of the group stage. This was the second time the Steelmen had recorded four wins out of four, having also done so in 2017/18, when they went on to reach the final.
4 wins out of 4 in Betfred Cup group stage
Alloa Athletic (2016/17)
Ayr United (2017/18 & 2018/19)
Dunfermline Athletic (2018/19)
Falkirk (2017/18)
Motherwell (2017/18 & 2019/20)
Partick Thistle (2016/17)
Rangers (2016/17)
Ross County (2019/20)
5 – Livingston sealed their place in round two of the Betfred Cup thanks to a 5-0 victory over Lowland League side Berwick Rangers. Ricki Lamie and Craig Sibbald both netted doubles for Livi as they extended their unbeaten run in the Betfred Cup group stage to 12 matches – they have won their group unbeaten in each of the last three seasons. Prior to this season, Lamie had only scored three goals in 218 appearances for Airdrieonians, Queen’s Park, Morton and Livi, but he has now doubled his career tally with three goals in four group stage matches.
Ricki Lamie’s career goals
05/10/2013: Queen’s Park 2-2 Preston Athletic (Scottish Cup)
31/12/2016: St Mirren 1-1 Greenock Morton (Championship)
07/04/2018: Livingston 3-2 Greenock Morton (Championship)
16/07/2019: Livingston 2-1 Ayr United (League Cup)
27/07/2019: Livingston 5-0 Berwick Rangers (League Cup)
27/07/2019: Livingston 5-0 Berwick Rangers (League Cup)
16 – Forfar Athletic pulled off a shock 2-1 victory over Premiership St Johnstone at Station Park to seal their place in the Betfred Cup second round. It is the first time in 16 years that the Loons have reached the last 16 – the last time they did so was in 2003/04, when they were thumped 6-0 by Rangers. Saturday’s success was Forfar’s first win over Saints since February 1987, when goals from Rob Cormack and Kenny MacDonald handed them a 2-1 victory at Muirton Park in the Scottish Cup.
21/02/1987 – St Johnstone 1 (Lloyd) - Forfar Athletic 2 (Cormack, MacDonald)
St Johnstone - Balavage, Wilson, McVicar, Barron, Heddle, Payne, Gibson, Lloyd, Brown, Johnston, Millen. Subs: Ward, Barkey.
Forfar Athletic – Kennedy, Lorimer, Hamill, Morris, Smith, McPhee, Ward, M. Bennett, Clark, Cormack, MacDonald. Subs: B. Bennett, Brewster.
8 – East Fife made it through to the second round of the Betfred Cup as one of the best runners-up thanks to a 1-1 draw with Heart of Midlothian and a bonus point penalty shoot-out win. Darren Young’s side lost their opening group match to Cowdenbeath but bounced back with wins over Stenhousemuir and Dundee United before Saturday’s success against Hearts. The Fifers last played at this stage of the League Cup eight years ago – they famously defeated Aberdeen on penalties before being narrowly beaten by eventual winners Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in the quarter-final.
Sides from League 1 qualifying from the Betfred Cup group stage:
2016/17 – Alloa Athletic, Peterhead
2017/18 – Ayr United
2018/19 – none
2019/20 – East Fife, Forfar Athletic
