SPFL Trust Trophy/10 bob cup

I see we've drawn our old friends Spartans again, do they get to keep us if/when they win this time?

No, they would only be unbeaten in 3 games they wouldn’t have 3 wins…

When I saw that The Govanite B team got a home draw against Fraserburgh, I thought “Even their wee team gets a favourable draw”.

Well 2 games against Spartans where we've yet to score a goal, will we continue with the same tactics and formation, or will we switch it up a bit and try something different?

'If we're being honest', nobody really cares about this cup, and it's only when you get to the final anyone gets a bit interested in wanting to win it, so a good opportunity to field the likes of Lawal and Green, Winter too*, and Muirhead & Sole starting together, lets try something dynamic and go for it from the start. We lose and who cares, gets it out of the way and we can fully focus on the league, win and it shows what we can do when we let our players off the leash and attack teams.

*resisted the urge to write Winter, Green.

Problem is, if he does play the flair players on Saturday and go for it and we run up a big win he’ll then be under pressure to drop his favourites and ditch his usual low risk approach to games. I fear it’ll be another game we’ll grind out.

Agree with you LF but I also agree with Denman’s assessment of what will actually happen.

Whether we care about this or not a win is a win is a win, we need to build a winning mentality.

Choked with cauld and backs geein me jip so won't make this.Suspect hel try different tactics and lineup.Wonder if there will be a stream .We owe them a doin and reckon if we turn up,that'll be the case tomorrow.Enjoy if your heading through.Mon the Lions...
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Troy wrote:Choked with cauld and backs geein me jip so won't make this.Suspect hel try different tactics  and lineup.Wonder if there will be a stream .We owe them a doin and reckon if we turn up,that'll be the case tomorrow.Enjoy if your heading through.Mon the Lions...
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Think that cold has made you delirious Troy. Expecting another laborious slog, with Spartans sitting deep looking to grab a late goal,

Would be absolutely stunned if we played with a front three of Muirhead, May and Sole, with Lawal and Green in midfield, go on Martindale, stun me. I'll pickle me walnuts if it happens.

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Hot toddy and a Radox bath will hopefully ease my delusional sentiments.One can but hope.See this old age catching up,can do one.🥶🤪.

Going by the twitter feed and bbc live text, it's the usual slow start with not much happening, going in at HT 0-0, and then 2 attacks in the first 5 mins of the restart with us looking more like scoring.

Stevie May breaking our duck against Spartans, nice bit of work on the video celebrating the goal too. https://twitter.com/i/status/1832440168915333407

2-0, bit more open now we're winning. https://twitter.com/i/status/1832444238417817993

Green and Lawal playing in the 2nd half, Sole starting but going off injured, pity Muirhead was suspended but Smith getting a game too and scoring. Lawal has been involved a lot on the reports. Any chance we could start playing these guys in league games.

Spent most of the afternoon under a towel and a bowl of menthol.Friggin cold .Glad its not next week 🥶.Sounds like it was a reasonably comfortable afternoon for the Lions,though updates can be notoriously inaccurate.Players missing from the start i saw,but at least the Spartans hoodoo has been put to bed until the next time.Helps me have a good night's sleep I hope.Roll on next week.Well done Livi..

Looked like our usual 1st half, bit of a slog. Stats were something like 2 shots, 1 on target for us and a corner. 2nd half that rose to 13 shots, 7 on target, and 7 corners. So pretty dominant 2nd half, scoring 2 goals and 2 late chances to increase it by Lawal and Winter.

Good seeing the fringe players getting used, and performing well, hopefully see them being used in league games too. Winter is a good impact player, always comes on and does well in the cup games, need to give him league games too. Yengi is meant to be injured, and Muirhead was suspended, no idea about Shinnie, but we need to use these fringe players more, they're doing well when given a game.

I think we've got a good squad, that will cope with suspensions and injuries later in the season, good level of quality in the squad. Other teams like Ayr have a good first XI, but will struggle when some of those players get injuries.

First 15 minutes was more entertaining than the entire 90 of the game we lost at the Vale. Spartans had 1 or 2 forays without causing us many problems but they were still pretty well organised enough that we couldn’t create anything of note. May (like Dykes against Poland) was making good movement along the back line without anyone trying to pick him out. Best effort of the first half was Sole cutting in and firing in a shot that was straight at the keeper. Game stagnated after the first 15 minutes though. Most of our attacks were down the right with Smith but he couldn’t get a decent ball in. We hardly used Sole but he brought the best moment as mentioned above.

Second half started brightly again, without getting a breakthrough. Sole and Smith switched wings Sipo that Sole was on the right but we still used Smith more. After 60 mins we were beginning to think we’d never score but then a nice chipped pass to Montano had him beating the offside trap and bearing down on goal but his shot was well saved, he responded well and retrieved the ball to cross for May to volley home from close range. Game was a bit more open now but nothing much threatened the goal.
Unfortunately nature called about 75th minute and I missed the second goal.

When Sole got injured it was probably because we had finally started using him but he’d been pretty much ignored so his muscles had most likely tightened with all the waiting around. Lawal did well enough and was utilised more in his time on the pitch than Sole had been and it wasn’t that Sole wasn’t making himself available, he was, but we kept going down the other flank.

Still not a particularly impressive team performance but it’s another win and another clean sheet.
Falkirk crashed out on pens to Stenhousemuir, Partick got walloped by Alloa and East Kilbride knocked out Cove, so a few surprise results. Looks like a competition we should be confident of doing well in but let’s see what the draw brings.

Sounds like what happened with Penrice till we started using him, i remember him constantly standing in acres of space wanting the ball, but he was ignored and we kept playing down the right wing. Hope Sole isn't injured badly, he's one of our most creative players, that can take players on and beat them, and score goals.

Looked like cramp at first as they had his leg straight and pushing his foot up/back. Didn’t really see what prompted them to decide he needed subbed. Must have been frustrating for him as Lawal seemed to get more “inclusion” after replacing him.

Lawal buzzes about more, moving around midfield, and isn't stuck in the one position. Hopefully just took Sole off as precautionary, with him just gradually coming back in after an injury against Dunfermline.

You miss the point, he came on as a straight replacement out on the right wing.

Haven't been on here for a while. The place is awash with adverts.
I was at the game yesterday. The fans were moaning a bit by half time because not much was happening but it is notoriously difficult to get anything against a team that sits with ten men in the penalty box. Can't blame Spartans though. It worked against us last time. It was a different game after we scored. Relieved to beat them at the 3rd attempt.

Groups of silly wee laddies making an erse of themselves acting the hardmen. Escorted from the ground with about 5 minutes to go. They were definitely not there for the football since they never watched it.

Auld Nick wrote:You miss the point, he came on as a straight replacement out on the right wing.

Ohright, wasn't on the right wing in the highlights clip for that chance at the end, was delivered from the right to him in the middle of the box.

Great ball from Winter (i think) for Smith's goal. Would like to see more of Winter, Lawal, Green and Smith playing in our league games.

To be fair… I was at the loo for a bit after he came on so he may have switched inside but while I was watching he was out wide.


On a side note… if you have seen the highlights you will have noticed the tidy wee scoreboard at the club pavilion… if a community club like Spartans can get one why can’t we?

Been one of my gripes for years Nick that we don't have a scoreboard.Maybe a sponsor for it would make it possible.Surprised the club have never looked into it.Finances would dictate though I suspect.‍�.

Auld Nick wrote:To be fair… I was at the loo for a bit after he came on so he may have switched inside but while I was watching he was out wide.


On a side note… if you have seen the highlights you will have noticed the tidy wee scoreboard at the club pavilion… if a community club like Spartans can get one why can’t we?

It was Winter with the assist for Smith's goal, and Winter putting the ball in from the right wing for Lawal's shot at goal from inside the box too, so maybe Winter went onto the wing* and Lawal switched inside to midfield.

*Winter was subbed on at 80 mins.