Spartans skipper Kevin Waugh will be looking to lead his side out of the Falkirk Stadium tunnel on Saturday against newly promoted Premiership side Falkirk as the bookie’s underdogs however for the third season on the bounce, it’s the SPFL 2 side who once again find themselves in the mix for a qualification spot.
After last season’s scalp of top flight Ross County following an impressive group stage showing, Spartans head to the home of the Kelpies once again requiring a win over Premiership opponents in order to seek progression into the knockout stages.
Out of their 13 fixtures in the competition so far, Douglas Samuel’s side have secured no fewer than five victories over sides plying their trade in higher leagues. For Waugh, it’s an achievement that the club rightly have earned the plaudits for.
“I don’t want to get to the point where I feel like it’s almost an expectation because I don’t think that’s fair on the boys. We’ve arguably got no right to beat the teams that we’ve been beaten. So, for that to become an expectation, perhaps it’s allowed to be an expectation within the dressing room because we can believe in ourselves, but we still should be applauded for being in this position again, regardless of how it goes on Saturday, with three teams still in the mix to win this group.”
“What we’ve done in the last couple of years in terms of the teams we’ve beaten and the memories that we’ve made for this football club, it shouldn’t be overlooked because we continue to do it. It should be applauded every single time.
“It was interesting after we beat Queen’s Park at the start of this group of games. The celebrations after beating a Championship side weren’t quite the same as what they’ve been before, but it’s because we’ve done it so many times.
“I’ve said to the boys in the dressing room that it should never get like that, it should never get to a point where you just expect to beat full time teams that are two levels above you. That just shouldn’t be the norm, despite the fact that we continue to do it. So, it should be applauded every single time regardless, but Saturday, we’re looking forward to having another opportunity to sort of spoil the party for other teams or make history again for us.
“But it’s always good to get to the last day, that’s three years in a row, even if it’s an outside chance. But remember, we still have a chance, there’s still something to play for. There’s not been a dead rubber game in this competition for us in the last three years, which is pretty remarkable.”
The sides met previously in the 2023-24 tournament, with Falkirk edging out the newly promoted Spartans 1-2 courtesy of a Ross MacIver late winner after Blair Henderson had cancelled out Tom Lang’s opener.
Waugh recalls, “We lost that late goal likely through sheer fatigue having played Dundee United on the Saturday before it and it was tough going. They were good side and of course, ended up going on to win League One that season undefeated. They clearly were a good side that season and the nucleus of that side are still there and we’ll probably see them again on Saturday.”
Whilst the immediate attentions focus on Falkirk, it’s the side’s final outing before the SPFL 2 opener seven days later against East Kilbride that’s firmly fixed on the radar.
“Competitive football started two weeks ago, but the real stuff starts when the play East Kilbride. Let’s be honest!
“This is a bonus for us. Last year getting to a quarter final was a silly achievement – an incredible achievement, but it was just an added bonus. The real stuff is League 2, so the minute the fixtures came out, that was what we were aiming for.When we came in for preseason, that was the aim. Be ready for then!
“There are opportunities for people to stake their claim for that first game, no doubt about it. The new lads, including those from the player pathway have come in and performed well. The gaffer’s rotated the squad quite a bit and gave everybody minutes, so everybody’s had the opportunity to stake a claim for a place for East Kilbride, so Saturday will be no different I imagine.”
