St Mirren will start the defence of the Premier Sports Cup against Dunfermline Athletic, Cove Rangers, East Kilbride and Dumbarton after next season’s groups were set in the premier sports cup draw.
Falkirk were paired with Ayr United, Alloa Athletic, Stranraer and Edinburgh City, while St Johnstone drew Greenock Morton, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, East Fife and Linlithgow Rose. Dundee United will meet Arbroath, Montrose, The Spartans and Stirling Albion in Group B, Dundee were drawn with Airdrieonians, Ross County, Clyde and Annan Athletic, and Kilmarnock will face Raith Rovers, Peterhead, Hamilton Academical and Elgin City.
There are also heavy-looking sections for several other clubs. Brora Rangers were drawn alongside Aberdeen, Queen's Park, Queen of the South and Kelty Hearts, while Brechin City will take on Livingston, Partick Thistle, Stenhousemuir and Forfar Athletic. The holders, St Mirren, lifted the trophy at Hampden in December after beating Celtic in last season’s final, a win that secured the Paisley club the competition for a second time.
The group stage begins on 11 or 12 July and runs until 25 or 26 July, with the eight group winners and three best runners-up advancing to the last 16 alongside Celtic, Heart of Midlothian, Rangers, Motherwell and Hibernian. That round is scheduled for 15 or 16 August, with the quarter-finals on 12 or 13 September, the semi-finals on 31 October and 1 November, and the final set for 13 December.
The draw has given St Mirren a clear first hurdle in a competition where there is little room for error. With only three best runners-up joining the eight section winners in the knockout phase, even one poor afternoon can leave a side chasing the rest of the summer from behind.
