Our Premier Sports Cup Quarter Final match day details have been confirmed.
We will play Aberdeen FC on Saturday 21st September with a 5.30pm KO.
Tickets prices: £23 Adults, £18 for o65s/u21s, £12 for u18s and £6 for u12s.
Arrangements on how to purchase Spartans supporters tickets to follow.
The Spartans set up a Premier Sports Cup Quarter Final tie away to Premiership side Aberdeen after despatching fellow top-flight opposition in the shape of Ross County courtesy of a Blair Henderson second half header.
Gaffer Douglas Samuel made one change from the side that defeated Bonnyrigg Rose as Paul Watson returned to the starting XI replacing Danny Denholm who took up a spot on the bench.
Ross County, former winners of the competition in 2016, arrived at Ainslie Park with a strong unbeaten record behind them and the odds firmly in their favour.
Spartans took the game to their lofty opponents from the off and could very well have found themselves ahead within the opening quarter of an hour.
Cammy Russell’s impressive turn and volley on the edge of the box found Ross Laidlaw in fine form between the County sticks, pushing the effort over the bar.
A few moments later, the industrious play-maker had another pop, this time his free-kick from 25 yards curled round the wall but landed just over the bar.
The travelling Staggies support finally had something to applaud when Ronan Hale’s powerful shot from deep inside the box found Heraghty in fine form.
Keiran Watson came within a post-width from netting an opener Spartans would have richly deserved as his acrobatic volley went agonisingly wide.
HT: The Spartans 0-0 Ross County
With half time pies barely digested by supporters and seagulls alike, Spartans took the lead with just twenty second half seconds on the clock.
Jacques Heraghty received the ball from James Craigen’s kick-off before launching it into the Ross County half. Kieran Watson won the ball on the deck to find Craigen who distributed up the line to find Jamie Dishington. A nod past Ryan Leak saw Dishington win the foot-race before his cross into the box found Blair Henderson who headed an almighty looped effort beyond Laidlaw into the net.
Absolute scenes across Ainslie Park as the hitman headed to celebrate with the crowd after putting the SPFL 2 side ahead.
Henderson closely followed up by almost adding a second when he met Russell’s cross on the edge of the six yard box however this time Laidlaw was able to pull off a fine saw at point blank range to keep the deficit at a single score.
County gaffer Cowie rung the changes as he emptied the bench during the half in a valiant attempt to get on level terms.
An unfortunate bounce off the wrong toe was then to deny Henderson the opportunity to put late further light between the sides as he beat the offside trap but couldn’t collect and his frustration was clear.
The proverbial County kitchen sink was then hurled towards Heraghty however both he and the Spartans defence held strong, along with the backtracking Henderson who used his height to head to safety County’s corner threats.
With five minutes left on the clock, Malt and Hops Man of the Match Jamie Dishington was replaced by Rory Whittaker.
Nails were bitten to the quick as the scoreboard locked on 90 minutes with all eyes on the Referee and how many added minutes the home faithful would be required to suffer before they could exhale an almighty roar.
When that moment finally came, the home faithful went proper radge with unrivalled joy. The biggest scalp so far in a proud history of Cup victories for a Spartans side who always dare to dream.
FT: The Spartans 1-0 Ross County
The Spartans have been rewarded for their victory over Ross County with an away tie against Premiership side Aberdeen in the Quarter Final of the Premier Sports Cup.
Manager Douglas Samuel offered his reaction, “It’s a fantastic draw. Aberdeen have made a great start to the season. It will also be the 1st time the clubs have met which is always something special to be a part of. Its a great achievement to reach the last 8 and I’m thrilled the players have been rewarded with a great tie.”
Tie will be played on the weekend of 21/22 September. Further details will appear in due course.
For Callum Booth, a League Cup winners medal in 2021 with St Johnstone remains one of his treasured prizes. The experienced defender now finds himself once again progressing from the Group Stages with Premiership opposition in the shape of Ross County next up for the SPFL 2 side.
Last season Booth was part of The Spartans side that battled until the dying moments against lofty opposition in the shape of Hearts in the Scottish Cup, a performance that offers optimism in yet another David v Goliath cup clash in the North Edinburgh arena.
Speaking ahead of the Last 16 tie, Booth said, “I’ve only been here for a relatively short period of time but there’s definitely been a number of big cup games the club have been associated with over years. We had a couple of these last season in the Scottish Cup and getting to the Play-Off Final in our first season in the SPFL, they were all big games in their own right.
“It a massive game on Saturday and the furthest the Club’s been in the League Cup. Being a home is great too and gives us that we chance to cause an upset in front of our support who will be right behind us from the off.”
Several years of Scottish Premiership experience with Partick Thistle and St Johnstone stands Booth in good stead for the visit of The Staggies.
“Staying in the game for as long as possible is vital, especially so the first twenty minutes or so. I think we can take a lot out of the Livingston game as well and Saturday is likely to be a fairly similar affair. They’ll be expected to have quite a lot of the ball and be strong favourites and we’ll need to be disciplined and defend as well as we done against Livingston.
“However, at Almondvale I thought we were good when we had the ball, we kept it well and managed to catch ourselves a bit of a breather. We stayed in the game right into the last quarter and we came up with the winning goal for our endeavours. More of the same on Saturday and who knows what could happen.”
The clean-sheet at Livingston has been one of four in the last five games for The Spartans defence which Booth continues to be an integral part of.
“We’re obviously doing something right in that department which bodes well for a tough game on Saturday against a team that is going to be expected to create chances. We need to put all we’ve worked on so far this season and take confidence from it as well because our defensive record has been a major factor in getting us this far in the tournament and a chance to create another wee shock.
“It’s not just at the back we’ve been performing too of course with the likes of Hendo and Cammy in the form they’ve been in, makes us a really dangerous team.
“In the start to the League season, those two have been in prim form. When you look at the quality of the goal last week against Bonnyrigg, Cammy’s probably playing some of the best football of his career and Hendo continues where he left off last season by scoring important goals for the Club.”
The Spartans welcome Ross County to Ainslie Park on Saturday in the Last 16 Round of the Premier Sports Cup.
North Edinburgh has been no stranger to top flight Cup opposition in recent times of course, with the visit of Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Cup last season in an Edinburgh Derby that went right to the wire, courtesy of a James Craigen wonder-strike that had levelled proceedings.
Those with longer memories of course will remember *that* Scottish Cup run some twenty years ago when Livingston FC, then of the Premier League, visited the dilapidated / ramshackle (delete as applicable) City Park where 3,000 crammed around the grassy banks.
This weekend sees yet another chapter in David v Goliath cup encounters, with a place in the Quarter Final at stake.
For Douglas Samuel SPFL 2 men, it’s another opportunity to build on an impressive start to the campaign, enjoying four clean sheets in six games – or perhaps even four and a half if you include after the interval in Stranraer!
One of those clean sheets of course, combined with a goal from Cammy Russell who has been in fine form from the off, earned victory away to Livingston who finished ten points behind Ross County in the Premiership last season.
Our opponents head to the Capital in a week that sees them celebrate thirty years since their debut in the Scottish Professional Football League after being voted in following restructuring of the SFL into four tiers.
The Staggies go into the game on the back of a pair of draws in the William Hill Premiership against Motherwell and Dundee United after a full set of wins in their Group H exploits.
Don Cowie’s side are no strangers of course to League Cup latter stages, having won the competition back in 2015-16 when they defeated Hibs 2-1 in the Final after disposing of Celtic 3-1 in the semis.
Kick-off on Saturday is at 3.00pm. Ticket Prices are £20 Adults, £14 Concessions (16-18 and Over 65) and £5 for Under 16s. Season Tickets are NOT valid for this Premier Sports Cup tie.
New to Ainslie Park? Here’s our Supporters Guide on getting to the Ground.
The Spartans are delighted to announce a new back of strip sponsor partnership with Fibre-UK.
Chairman Craig Graham said, “It’s great to link up with Jae Reid and his team from Fibre UK who are playing a leading role in rolling out faster broadband across the UK.
“Fibre-UK is a great local success story and we are honoured that Jae is keen to invest in his local community club. Our Partners help us continue to grow and develop, and we hope Jae enjoys the extra publicity we can give Fibre-UK.
Fibre-UK Ltd Director Jae Reid added, “Fibre UK is proud to sponsor The Spartans. As a company we believe in the benefits of strong communities and are committed to giving back to the area we call home.
“Supporting The Spartans is more than just a partnership to us, it’s an investment in bringing people together and promoting a healthy lifestyle for the local youth in the area and beyond.”
*Pictured is Club Chairman Craig Graham unveiling Fibre-UK Ltd’s pitch-side advertising board.
| Date: | 14/08/24 |
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| Opponent: | Forfar Athletic |
| Venue: | Ainslie Park |
| Competition: | SPFL 2 |
| Kick off: | 3.00pm |
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