Stirling Albion to face Aberdeen in Premier Sports Cup

Stirling Albion will face Aberdeen in the Premier Sports Cup in July following the draw for the group stages at Hampden Park.

Joining them in Group A will be Raith Rovers, Peterhead and Dumbarton with all four games to be played in July.

Jim Goodwin’s side are appearing in the group stages for the first time after finishing 10th in the Premiership and will be aiming for a big improvement in the forthcoming campaign.

It will be the first meeting of the teams for 25 years when the Dons won 2-0 at Forthbank in a League Cup quarter-final thanks to goals from Joe Miller and Stephen Glass after the Binos had stunned Kilmarnock 6-2 in the previous round.

Aberdeen also won 2-0 at Forthbank in a Scottish Cup tie in February 1996 but before that you have to trace back to season 1976/77 for the most recent encounters.

Alex Smith’s team lost the first leg of a League Cup quarter-final 1-0 at Pittodrie but won 1-0 in the Annfield return to set up a Dens Park replay, which the Dons won 2-0 en route to lifting the trophy.

It’s still to be confirmed whether the game will be home or away but it’s a big match for the club to look forward to. It will also be a notable occasion for manager Darren Young, who was with Aberdeen as a player from 1995 until 2003, when he moved to Dunfermline.

Stirling will also face Raith Rovers in Group A – the Kirkcaldy club just missed out on the promotion play-offs last season after finishing fifth in the Championship. Rovers this week named Ian Murray as their new boss after the departure of John McGlynn to Falkirk.

Dumbarton are another of Albion’s opponents and the teams will also cross paths in League Two after the Sons were beaten by Edinburgh City in the play-offs.

Stirling beat Peterhead in last