Scottish Cup, 3rd Round. There’s a proper cup tie down in Ayrshire this afternoon as Jim Duffy takes his Morton side south to face reigning Scottish Junior Cup holders Beith Juniors.
The Cappielow outfit have been on a great run in the league, recovering from a slow start to move to third place in the Championship behind only Hibs and Dundee United. Duffy has been rewarded for the run with the Ladbrokes Championship Manager of the Month award for October, while midfielder Thomas O’Ware won the Player award. Forward Jai Quitongo has also really caught the eye for Morton, with his form earning him a Scotland Under-21 call up and attracting interest from some of the big hitters down south. He was one of the stars as they also reached the semi-final of the Betfred Cup last month, where they gave Aberdeen a scare before eventually losing 2-0.
But the national stadium will seem a million miles away when they run out at Bellsdale Park on Saturday. The Junior side’s participation in the Scottish Cup is one of the highlights of the early rounds and they rarely give the senior sides an easy time of it. Beith Juniors are used to winning in the league and as the holders of the Scottish Junior Cup they are a serious banana skin. They earned their tie with a late winner against Lowland League side BSC Glasgow in the last round and this is a cup tie the community are really getting behind. It looks certain to be a great occasion and if you are in Ayrshire this competitive contest is not one to miss.
Match preview by back4: “Scottish football’s newest website and podcast, dedicated to covering all four tiers – not just two teams.”
Kick-off is at 3pm.
Tickets on the day available at the turnstiles.