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Our Premier Sports Cup campaign gets underway just like it did last season, at home to The Spartans, but everyone at Balmoral Stadium will be hoping for an entirely different outcome on Tuesday night!

Twelve months ago the capital club travelled north and eased to a 5-0 win, a result which set the scene for a disappointing group, during with we were handed a 3-0 defeat against Forfar by the SPFL for fielding Grady McGrath, who was deemed ineligible by the authorities.

The team rounded things off in more positive fashion with an impressive victory at Dunfermline, and will be hoping to make history this time round by reaching the knockout stages for the first time.

Paul Hartley says they go into the game in an upbeat mood after a fine showing in front of a record-breaking Balmoral crowd against Aberdeen at the weekend:

“I thought we did well against a really top outfit, coped with what they threw at us and gave a really good account of ourselves.

“The defence was strong, we were brave, and played some really nice football at times. The players can take a lot of credit and a lot of belief going into the season.”

While still looking to add to the squad, Paul is happy with where we are at this stage, and knows he has quality to bring back:

“We were missing Blair Yule, Mikey Doyle and Ryan Harrington, all key players, and I certainly think we’ve got a strong core there. Just need to bring a few more in.

“The boys have all been terrific since day one pre-season, their attitude and commitment first class. They come in every day, they don’t give me a minute’s bother, they work hard, and as a manager you want to have a group like that. They will fight to give everything for this club.”

Our best showing in this competition came a couple of years ago when we very nearly qualified, eventually finishing third with eight points. The manager is hoping for a positive start as he looks to emulate that:

“That’s what we need against a good Spartans team. We’re at home, we will attack the game, and it would be great to get the three points to kick things off.”

The game has come too early for Yule and Harrington, but Mikey Doyle is back in the squad to face a Spartans side who kicked-off their campaign with a notable 2-1 win over Queen’s Park.

Tickets for the match can be purchased at THIS LINK

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