Premier Sports Cup: Alfie Stewart nets stunning winner for Caley Thistle against St Johnstone; Defeats for Brora, Cove and Peterhead

Alfie Stewart netted a stunning goal as Caley Thistle defeated St Johnstone 1-0 in the Premier Sports Cup.

A superb, swaggering Caley Thistle showing in the battle between last season’s League One and Championship winners was enough to elevate Scott Kellacher’s side to the top of group F with one game to play.

Despite the narrow winning margin, the hosts’ control would have left an uninformed neutral wondering which was the Premiership outfit.

St Johnstone, newly-installed back in the Premiership, must now be sure to beat East Fife, a point above them or exit the League Cup on Saturday.

The Inverness side will travel to Morton that same day knowing victory will seal their place as surprise top dogs.

For a Caley Thistle side embedded once again in the Championship, this was an ideal pre-league campaign test against the top-flight returnees.

After a disappointing draw at home to East Fife – plus the penalty kicks bonus point – and solid win away to Linlithgow Rose, manager Kellacher selected close to his strongest team against the top-flight side.

Notably, Perth Saints legend David Wotherspoon was restored to the starting eleven, while young strike signing Miller Keir, last season’s top Highland League scorer with Turriff United, won a place on the bench.

Saints’ boss Simo Valakari made seven changes from the 3-0 home victory over Morton, but left Ruari Paton, Zach Mitchell and Matty Todd back in Perth.

A competitive opening period brought little goalmouth action, but the hosts were already the livelier team on the front foot.

They stormed ahead in the 16th minute after a couple of moments of slackness from Saints.

Keeper Toby Steward’s pass forward went astray before, similarly, Morgan Boyes mistimed his pass.

That allowed Alfie Stewart to stride onto it, deep in Saints half and spotting keeper Steward off his line, the Aberdeen loanee executed a controlled, Kenny McLean-style finish to find the top of the net from fully 40 yards.

The small Perth support had to wait until the 23rd minute for the first attempt on target with Kai Fotheringham’s cross from the left nodded by Paul Allan, without too much conviction, into the arms of home keeper Ross Munro.

A corner just past the half hour saw Paul Allan’s wicked inswinging delivery veer against the crossbar and to safety with keeper Steward nowhere close.

Five minutes before the break, Stewart’s wonderful ball over the top from deep set fellow Dons loanee Alfie Bavidge tearing through on the left but Steward saved well, when a cutback might have teed up ICT’s Liam Sole.

Bavidge hooked another attempt just over the bar soon after.

A first half that must have pumped Kellacher and the coaching team full of belief ended with a superb flowing move, lacking only the finish, as Stewart found the keeper’s arms from 10 yards.

There was more as the second half opened.

Bournemouth loan signing Noa Boutin tore away on the left and speared a brilliant, low ball across goal, only just cut out by Saints’ Boyes with Wotherspoon and Bavidge prowling near the six-yard line.

Stewart was on fire for ICT, picking holes in St Johnstone’s rearguard regularly with his passing and, from one such ball, the lively Sole shot just over.

Saints, struggling to lift their play and crack a rock solid home defence, made a triple change in the 63rd minute.

Logan Chalmers, on the right, was among those introduced and immediately beat his man and delivered a dangerous ball, again knocked clear by the resolute hosts.

Caley Jags gave young Keir his debut in 72 minutes, replacing Bavidge.

From the next attack, right-back Calum MacLeod sped into space to the right of the box and saw his low goalbound strike topped past the post by the diving Steward.

There was always a nagging feeling the home side could pay for those missed chances.
Fowler’s late header did strike Ross Munro’s crossbar, but an equaliser would have been a travesty.

The response at full-time from the home crowd was rapturous.

Mckay praises ICT players

Caley Thistle assistant manager Billy Mckay said: “I’m really happy. First and foremost, the result keeps us in with a chance of progressing in the cup and that was the aim at the start of the competition.

“But the performance in both halves, for different reasons, I was really pleased with.

“I thought we were excellent and could have gone in two or three nil up.

“Alfie Bavidge was such a threat in behind and Liam Sole got in a few times.

“We were unlucky not to be a few goals up at the break, but the second half was equally pleasing because at times we had to keep a good shape and really do a lot of good work off the ball, with concentration levels high.

“And we were excellent on the break, with two or three chances to put the game to bed.

“They were always going to have a moment and they clipped the bar, but you expect that from a Premiership team.

“To a man, everyone was excellent.

“We’ve got better and better as the games have gone on.”

Dunfermline 5-0 Cove Rangers

Dunfermline Athletic ran out commanding winners against Cove Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup.

Cove gaffer Paul Hartley looking for a rebound after heavy defeat to St Mirren last time out made five changes but his hopes were dashed early on as the home men came out looking for blood.

Andrew Tod meandered through multiple Cove defenders before slotting home from inside the box to give his side the lead within five minutes.

The hosts sensed a good night was in store as Tod went close again from an Oli Shaw cross but fired wide.

The same pair combined to double their advantage not long after.

This time Tod was the provider, somewhat, fortuitously when a cross bounced off him and into the path of strike parner Shaw who lashed home from ten yards.

All of this before the clock had struck 15 minutes.

The chances kept on coming for the Pars as Zak Rudden, Shea Kearney and Tod all went close.

IThere was an air of inevitability that a third was on the way and when Ackeme Francis-Burrell was adjudged to have fouled Tod in the box Shaw duly delivered, albeit at the second attempt after Robbie Mutch had saved his spot kick.

Such was the Pars’ dominance that a tame Reuben McAllister effort from outside the box on 38 minutes would be the only shot Cove could muster in the first half and their only shot on target in the entire encounter.

After the break, Tod was fed in by Kian Corbally with all the time in the world to slot home from close range to make it 4-0 67 minutes in.

Cove had Mutch to thank as he made a trio of smart saves to deny Callumn Morrison twice and Tod once more.

The stopper could do nothing to stop the fifth as once again his backline went missing leaving Josh Cooper to tap home on 80 minutes to finish a disappointing night for Hartley’s outfit.

Kelty Hearts 3-2 Brora Rangers

Brora Rangers were denied a consolation point as their Premier Sports Cup campaign ended with a fourth defeat.

The Cattachs twice came from behind at New Central Park but left empty-handed after a stoppage time winner from Kelty’s Finn Moffett.

Brora almost stunned their hosts within two minutes when James Anderson’s angled shot drew a crucial save from Jamie Smith.

But the opener came at the other end on 10 minutes when Ryan Shanley converted Dylan Corr’s pass from close range.

Alisdair Sutherland saw his 20-yarder rise just too high as the visitors looked for a quick response though the Fifers went close to doubling their lead when Shanley’s header drew a smart save from Cammy Mackay.

Smith trumped that effort with a superb diving stop to deny Craig Mackenzie who was unlucky not to draw Brora level.

A similar strike form Connor Bunce had the home keeper in action again before the Cattachs deservedly got their equaliser when James Wallace sent a 20-yarder soaring into the top left corner.

However, they only enjoyed parity for eight minutes before Shanley darted into the box and added his second with an angled shot low into the corner.

Mackay produced a fine diving save to deny Lewis Moore and prevent further damage soon after the restart while Ross Cunningham was also thwarted by the visiting keeper as Kelty looked to score a decisive third goal.

Instead, Brora hit back for a second time on 65 minutes when Bunce took a pass from Jake Rodgers and blasted a 14-yard shot low into the left corner.

The Cattachs finished the 90 minutes on the back foot as Moffet forced a good save from MacKay before Moore blazed wide.

Just as a shootout beckoned, Moffett arrowed a shot into the bottom right corner from 16 yards.

Brora open their Highland League campaign on Saturday when Deveronvale are the visitors to Dudgeon Park.

Raith Rovers 1-0 Peterhead

Peterhead’s hopes of qualifying for the next stage of the League Cup now hang by a thread following a narrow Stark’s Park defeat at the hands of Raith Rovers.

Despite a battling performance, the Blue Toon now sit second bottom of the group table on three points with just one game to play.

When the teams were announced, the visitors found themselves up against a new-look Raith side which incorporated a raft of recent signings, including former Partick Thistle and Ayr United frontman Anton Dowds who had agreed to join the Kirkcaldy club just a few hours before kick off.

Peterhead were clearly anxious to secure the victory which would give them a realistic chance of progessing in the tournament but they almost fell behind in the third minute when some defensive uncertainty allowed the ball to fall to the unmarked Dowds but Raith’s debutant striker could only muster a tame low shot which was easily held by Jack Newman.

Despite the home side’s early pressure, Peterhead were clearly not in awe of their Championship opponents, as evidenced when Danny Strachan made ground on the left before sending over a dangerous looking low cross which skimmed through the six yard box, causing havoc amongst the home defenders before being cleared to safety.

As the half hour mark approached, Peterhead were by far the more aggressive of the two protagonists, twice coming close to forging ahead, with a well struck 20-yard shot from Niall McGinn slipping narrowly over Luke Armstrong’s crossbar and a similar effort from Seb Ross drifting wide of the Raith goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

Ross then charged into the penalty area only to be denied by a last ditch challenge from Rovers defender Zak Delaney but the Fifers opened the scoring against the run of play in the 38th minute, John Robertson’s cross being steered past Newman by Dylan Easton.

Despite falling behind, Peterhead rallied in the closing stages of the first half, McGinn seeing his firmly struck shot saved by Armstrong and Josh Kerr’s close range header from the resultant corner being blocked by the impressive Raith keeper.

Raith looked a more settled side in the second half and although Peterhead battled hard for the equaliser they rarely troubled Armstrong as Raith’s game management proved supremely effective.

[Source: Press and Journal]