Raith Rovers take Livingston to penalties, Ross County return: Premier Sports Cup round-up

Last season’s finalists Livingston require a win over Cowdenbeath on Saturday to continue their Premier Sports Cup campaign after taking a bonus point from Raith Rovers.

The Scottish League Cup now known as the Premier Sports Cup. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The Fifers were the stronger side to start the game but the 2021 runners-up gradually edged into things and had the better of the chances in the second half. New signing Bruce Anderson should have done better when close in just before the hour and was then denied shortly afterwards by a great save from Jamie McDonald.

A scoreless 90 minutes led to a penalty shoot-out ending 6-5 for the West Lothian side from seven penalties each when Max Stryjek saved teenager Aaron Arnott’s sudden death penalty.

Five games had been expected to go ahead this evening on the penultimate card of group stage fixtures but Falkirk’s trip to Edinburgh City was cancelled three hours before kick-off with a covid outbreak depleting the Bairns squad. A 3-0 win was awarded to Gary Naysmith’s side, lifting them off the bottom and above the Bairns in Group E.

Ross County had suffered similar fate earlier in the competition, conceding two matches against Dundee and Forfar Atheltic, however Malky Mackay’s tenure as manager eventually got underway with a win against Brora through Alex Iacovitti’s header. The group’s other game between Montrose and Dundee was decided by a Jason Cummings penalty and Luke McCowan’s close-range strike to set up a group decider for the Premiership side against Forfar on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Motherwell passed up the chance to win their group, losing the Lanarkshire derby at Airdrie with Rhys McCabe and Scott McGill on target for the Diamonds.

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