Rangers to face Ayr United in Petrofac Cup

Andy Halliday celebrates his goal for Rangers during the 6-2 mauling at Easter Road. Picture: SNS

The new team assembled by Mark Warburton know all about Ian McCall’s side as they played them in a pre-season closed door friendly at Murray Park two weeks ago.

However, the facilities at Somerset Park will be new to many of the squad, not least the manager himself.

Warburton said: “I don’t know a great deal about Ayr but I will do by the time we play them. It’ll be a tough place to go to, though, and I’m sure I’ll be told that much by David Weir.

“We look forward to it. We have an idea about them because we played them in a closed-door game but, as it was for us, it was in the early part of their pre-season preparations.

“I’m sure they’ll have come together as a team so we’ll need to put in a certain level of performance.

“Any competition you go into you want to win it but it also offers all of our players the chance to be involved. It’s not about an 11 or 14, it’s about using your entire squad and making sure that every single player, at any given time, is in shape to play for you.

“That’s how it should work so we’ll keep it lean and keep it tight and make sure that everyone feels part of it.

“From our point of view, we have new players coming to the club and you want to win games because winning becomes a habit. It’s an old saying but it’s true. I want to win every single game, as every team should do, so we’ll be prepared as best as we can be for every match that we play. It’s important, having entered the tournament, that we win it or, at least, go as far as we possibly can in it. Our aim is to collect the trophy.”

Holders Livingston have landed a tough away tie against Queen of the South even if the Palmerston side have lost four of their better players.

St Mirren are also heading south where they face a potential banana skin against Annan Athletic.

Danny Lennon, who won the League Cup with St Mirren two years ago, is delighted Alloa have landed a home draw against Elgin City while the 2014 Petrofac winners Raith Rovers are away to Stenhousemuir.

SECOND ROUND

North section

Forfar v Dunfermline

Falkirk v Peterhead

Alloa v Elgin City

Stenhousemuir v

Raith Rovers

South section

Annan Athletic v

St Mirren

Ayr United v Rangers

Queen of the South v Livingston

Queen’s Park v Dumbarton

Ties to be played on Tuesday and Wednesday 18-19 August.