5 – St Mirren cruised into the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Partick Thistle at the SMISA Stadium. Goals from Jamie McGrath and Joe Shaughnessy ensured Saints won the group with 12 points out of 12, and set up a clash with Livingston in the next round. Saints maintained their unbeaten home record against the Jags in this competition – in five League Cup meetings in Paisley, St Mirren have picked up four wins and a draw.
3 – Arbroath defeated Kelty Hearts 3-2 at Gayfield to secure their spot in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup for the second consecutive season. Dick Campbell’s side did things the hard way – they trailed 2-0 after half an hour, but goals from Luke Donnelly, Colin Hamilton and Nicky Low secured the victory they needed to be one of the best runners-up. They will now face holders St Johnstone at home in the next round. Including last season, the Red Lichties are now unbeaten in five home matches, picking up four wins and a draw.
5 – Dundee thumped Forfar Athletic 5-2 at the Kilmac Stadium to claim their place in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup. The Premiership new boys won Group C with a 100% record and set up a tie against Motherwell in the next round. The last time the Dee scored five or more goals at Dens Park was also against Forfar in the League Cup group stage – they defeated the Loons 7-0 in July 2016. Including the end of last season, Dundee have now won eight of their last nine matches in all competitions, the only blip being a 1-0 loss to Raith Rovers in the play-off semi-final second leg.
7 – Dunfermline Athletic sealed their spot in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup with a 4-1 victory over Stenhousemuir at East End Park. Doubles from Craig Wighton and Kevin O’Hara ensured that Peter Grant’s side finished as one of the best runners-up and set up a trip to Ibrox in the next round. Dunfermline are now unbeaten in their last seven home matches in all competitions, a run which stretches back to the start of April. The Pars have won their last seven matches against Stenhousemuir in all competitions – their last defeat came in League 1 in December 2014.
2 – Motherwell defeated Annan Athletic 2-0 at Fir Park to ensure that they progressed to the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup. Goals from Justin Amaluzor and Barry Maguire meant they topped Group F and set up a clash with Dundee in the next round. Graham Alexander’s side have five wins and just one defeat in their last seven home matches – that was a 2-1 loss to Ross County on the final day of last season. This was the third competitive meeting of the Steelmen and the Galabankies – so far Motherwell have won all three.
