Les Atkinson’s Under 20s finally come out of cold storage on Friday evening and into the fire that is Combined Challenge Cup Round 3 where they welcome Whitburn u20s to Ainslie Park.
Both sides have been devoid of match time over the festive period, extended by the freeze, this being Spartans first outing since 06/12 whilst Whitburn were last in action on 20th December in a Knock-Out Cup tie that went all the way to penalties.
It was at the same round that Spartans bowed out of the competition last season having lifted the trophy in 2023 following a Final win over Cumbernauld Colts.
Atkinson will be keen to avoid another proverbial banana skin and will be looking to his side, who have remained undefeated so far this season, to take the momentum of 2024 into the new year and find themselves in the proverbial hat come full time.
Our visitors:
It’s the first time Spartans and Whitburn have met at Under 20s level and there’s a large degree of the unknown about our opponents.
Currently sitting 8th in the West Region League, Whitburn came out of the traps relatively well this season, scoring six goals on four occasions in the opening 8 league games. The goal scoring tap has run dry since, with just 6 goals scored in the next half dozen league outings.
Combined Challenge Cup:
In the previous round, Spartans edged out Armadale 2-1, whilst it was an easier pathway for Whitburn who disposed of St Anthony’s 4-0.
Match Info:
Kick-off 8.15pm. Game will be played on the Community Pitch due to Hearts B on Lowland League duty.
