Premier Sports Cup: League Two side make shock run into last 16, big guns survive on nervy afternoon

Livingston miss out after surprise defeat as inactive Dundee United squeak into Sunday’s draw

The biggest losers of the final Saturday of Premier Sports Cup group-stage action were Livingston, who crashed out of the competition after a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Spartans.

Livingston only needed a draw at home to Spartans to progress, but Cammy Russell grabbed the only goal for the visitors with five minutes left. The League Two side continue their excellent progress under Dougie Samuel since winning the Lowland League two seasons ago and can look forward to a glamour tie in the next round.

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Inactive Dundee United suffered a nervy afternoon as they squeezed into the last 16 after Ayr failed to get the required margin of victory against Buckie Thistle. Jim Goodwin’s side qualified as one of the three best runners-up, along with Airdrie and Queen’s Park, after finishing their fixtures in midweek.

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Dundee, Aberdeen and Ross County secured the three remaining seeded places in Sunday’s draw along with European qualifiers Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Mirren, while Falkirk, Hibs and St Johnstone also went through as group winners alongside Spartans.

St Johnstone recovered from a midweek defeat to reach the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup

St Johnstone recovered from a midweek defeat to reach the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup | SNS Group

Ross MacIver scored twice in between Callumn Morrison’s penalty and Liam Henderson’s header as Falkirk beat Stenhousemuir 4-0 to move above Dundee United on goal difference in Group B.

Ayr needed a three-goal win at home to Buckie to also move above Goodwin’s side and were well on their way following Jay Henderson’s first-half double, but they were pegged back by the Highland League champions. Jake Hastie put Scott Brown’s side back in front midway through the second half but they could not add to their 3-2 lead to the relief of Goodwin and his Dundee United side, who finished on nine points.

St Johnstone finished top of Group F after a 5-1 win over East Fife. Adama Sidibeh and Benjamin Kimpioka both scored twice while Makenzie Kirk netted late on following Alan Trouten’s consolation goal. Saints leapfrogged both East Fife and Alloa, who fell to a 2-1 defeat by Morton. Goals by Owen Moffat and Michael Garrity put the hosts ahead before Conor Sammon’s goal gave Alloa hope late on. An equaliser and a penalty shoot-out win would have put them above St Johnstone and sent Dundee United out but they could not find an equaliser.

Aberdeen hit six second-half goals without reply against Dumbarton to secure top spot in Group A. The Dons made a slow start but hit two goals in the first three minutes of the second half through Jack MacKenzie and Ester Sokler, who added a third just after the hour mark. Peter Ambrose, James McGarry and Slobodan Rubezic added gloss to the scoreline in the latter stages.

Dons manager Jimmy Thelin hailed his striker Sokler, who once again started amid speculation surrounding the future of star forward Bojan Miovski. “It is also important the work Ester does on the training pitch as he is trying to improve himself every day,” said Thelin. “And how he plays with his team-mates. Of course it is also important for someone in his position to score.

Ester Sokler, right, was praised for his performance in the win over Dumbarton

Ester Sokler, right, was praised for his performance in the win over Dumbarton | SNS Group

“It is always good when you play as a striker to score but I don’t want to put that pressure on him. It is more important how he develops and grows as a player. Ester had two really good finishes and how he arrived in the box and kept the calmness in those situations is really nice to see. It is a really good quality to have. I asked them to give good quality balls inside the box and Ester has to be there.”

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Airdrie went through as runners-up after a 2-0 home win against Queen of the South. Ben Wilson poked home his sixth goal of the competition and Terrell Agyemang’s near-post finish sealed the points.

On his new striker Wilson, Diamonds boss Rhys McCabe said: “He’s alright, isn’t he? Ben has got a natural knack of getting between the posts. His goal return shows how deadly he is. He sniffs chances out. His goals are not all the same kind of finishes. They are varied and his movement is excellent.”

Hibs retained Group C top spot on goal difference ahead of Queen’s Park thanks to a 4-0 home win against Peterhead. Lewis Miller scored early in each half, Rudi Molotnikov fired home his second goal of the competition and Nathan Moriah-Welsh rounded off the scoring with a well-taken volley. The Spiders also progressed thanks to another convincing win, beating Kelty Hearts 6-0. Dom Thomas atoned for an early penalty miss by scoring a solo goal before setting up Sean Welsh to head home. Roddy MacGregor and Jack Turner both bagged braces.

Lewis Miller, left, scored twice for Hibs in their win over Peterhead.

Lewis Miller, left, scored twice for Hibs in their win over Peterhead. | SNS Group

Hibs head coach David Gray said: “The objective was to win this game and top the group and qualify for the knock-out stages. That’s exactly what the players have delivered and I’m delighted with that. It was frustrating at times today. I thought we created a lot of chances and were maybe a wee bit wasteful in front of goal. But all in all, we kept going, limited them to very few chances and I thought it was a very professional performance.”

Dundee had already secured their progress before beating Inverness 6-0 at Glebe Park. Simon Murray scored a first-half hat-trick and Seb Palmer-Houlden struck twice before the break. Antonio Portales headed home late on.

Ronan Hale scored a double as Ross County beat Stirling 3-0. Hale drilled home from 25 yards and then netted from close range just before the interval before James Brown scored late on. Raith Rovers could have pressed for a runners-up spot with a win over Hamilton but they were held to a 1-1 draw.

Clyde’s hopes ended after Craig Brown’s early goal secured victory for Montrose. Motherwell will go through if they avoid defeat against Partick Thistle at Fir Park in Sunday’s Group G decider.