First held in season 1947-1947 the Scottish League Cup has switched between being played in groups and a straightforward single-elimination knockout tournament. The existing format has been in place since the 2016-2017 season. The format has eight groups of five teams playing each other once in a round-robin format. There are forty teams playing in the group stage – the 37 SPFL clubs from 2022/23 who did not qualify for Europe plus Brechin City (Highland League champions), The Spartans (Lowland League champions) and Cowdenbeath, who were relegated from cinch League 2 in May 2022.
Many of the players now playing in the competition know nothing other than the current system and most probably favour getting into competitive games quicker since it means less running in pre-season training. The games come thick and fast, and if you can get out your group then it’s the ideal start before you go into the league season.
So is the current League Cup format good? Dunfermline manager James McPake stressed that it is just his person opinion, but he does not like the format and preferred the previous League Cup format.
“It is tough but it is tough for every team. Look at the Premier League teams – Dundee United and St Johnstone – they have both lost their first games, United their first two games. I know they are not officially out but they will be out because they can only get to six points.
“It is tough, we went into a derby in our first game and Inverness who played in the Scottish Cup final are back playing six weeks later. It is tough but if you asked the players they would maybe prefer it because you are away from the friendlies quickly. We are two weeks away from our first league game, there are pros and cons.
“Anybody who has had a bit of success getting through every year would like it. Although last year was the only year that I never got through and I still don’t like it. I have never played in it so I can’t comment from that point of view.”
When it comes to being able to play trialists in the League Cup the Pars gaffer has possibly more support for his views:-
“I find it strange how you can play a trialist in a league game but you can’t play a trialist in this cup competition. I have said for the last four or five years that it would benefit every club if we could play trialists in this cup. Then they have the option to take the trialists out when the group stages are over but that is outwith my control.”
Dunfermline have five points from their first two fixtures in Group F this season. They play Kilmarnock on Saturday at The KDM Group East End Park and on Tuesday evening they are away to Albion Rovers.
