Qualifying Cup | Spartans face Fulshie on Tuesday at Ainslie

Posted on Monday, March 20th, 2023

The Spartans welcome Stoneyburn to Ainslie Park on Tuesday night after the venue for the twice postponed East of Scotland Qualifying Cup fixture was reversed by the league committee in line with tournament rules.

Dougie Samuel’s men head into the tie against the conquerors of Berwick Rangers in the 2nd Round and the Ainslie Park side will be keen to avoid becoming another Lowland League scalp for Steven Sharp’s side.

Spartans go into the tie on the back of a 18 match unbeaten run across all competitions and will be keen to progress in a competition where they have lifted the trophy on ten occasions.

With two gruelling top of the table encounters in just 72 hours last week, there may be an opportunity for a wider squad involvement in the tie and following some impressive work by our Under 20s Development Squad, minutes may well be on offer for some of our young stars too.

Stoneyburn FC, known better as The Fulshie, currently playing in the East of Scotland Third Division. The Club were formed in 1928 however they folded in 1958. From the flames, a phoenix of it’s former side reborn as a Junior Club in 1983/84 season, after years in the juvenile and amateur ranks.

It’s been a challenging season for The Fulshie who, despite a relatively decent start to their league campaign, haven’t been able to register a victory since November, a 3-1 win over mid-table Livingston United.

However, the romance of the cup and a scalp in the tournament from the visitors already in the tournament could very well add up to an interesting 90 minutes of knock out football.

Dundonald Bluebell will be interested onlookers as they await the winners of this tie at home on a date yet to be determined.

Kick-off 7.45pm, Ainslie Park. Cafe / Bar will be open for refreshments. Admission is £9 adults, £6 concessions. Save hunting for cash by buying your tickets in advance via Fanbase by clicking here.

Finally, due to time constraints due to the fixture announcement, there won’t be a match programme. Sorry!