Kingsmills

We can gripe all we like about the injustice of the SPFL only deducting two points from Hearts when precedent and logic dictated a three point deduction and 3-0 win awarded to Cove. I am in no doubt that that decision was contrived to keep the Group alive for the benefit of the sponsors and BT Sports. However, we were left with the simple enough task of not having to lose to a Hearts team who, apart from 45 minutes against a Cowdenbeath team depleted in numbers, had been decidedly average. We fell abysmally short in what should have been a straightforward task and deserve to be out of the competition. The task now for the manager and coaching staff is to try to ensure that today's humiliation does not dent confidence too much and to get the league campaign off to a positive start.

Worse communication than us. Hopefully, they will end the group stage with a worse points total than us to go with it.

HT; Hearts 0, ICT 0 FT; Hearts 1, ICT 1 ICT; Doran Hearts; Naismith Crowd; 8,442

Cockney

All ambulances improperly parked at Tynecastle will be ticketed by arrangement.

Iain Vigurs competitive debut for County ends in a 4-1 thrashing by Arbroath. More pertinent to us, the runners up in group A can no longer reach 9 points and, after this evening's results, nor can the runners up in group B.

We can avoid such a lottery by taking at least a point from Tynecastle. It may be another step up in quality for us but we have coped with every step up so far and are perfectly capable of doing so again on Sunday.

With this evening's results, the SPFL and BT Sport get the conclusion to the group they bizarrely contrived.

HT: ICT 1, Raith Rovers 0 FT; ICT 3, Raith Rovers 2 ICT; Polworth Raith Rovers: Buchannan Crowd; 1,034

With a small squad and very limited resourses, we are concentrating very firmly on the first term. Maybe not the best long term strategy but, for this season at least, in my view, it's the right thing to do.

That depends on how many stamps they licked between them before the meeting.

I agree that Cove should have been awarded the points deducted from Hearts. As I said before, deducting the points gained in the match is a fair and proportionate response to an administrative error. However, Hearts gained three points from that match and I utterly fail to see the logic in deducting only two, nor do I see the merit in not awarded the points improperly gained to the opponents. If it had been a knock out situation, precedent would have seen Hearts eliminated and Cove progress in their place. Trust the Scottish football authorities to get it wrong even when, by and large, getting it right.

The last three years have been a disappointment after the heights of two thousand and fifteen and the seasons that went before it. However, I believe that you support the club with the same enthusiasm and commitment through thick and thin. As far as the future is concerned, there were encouraging signs in the last third of last season, I also think that we have recruited fairly well both on the playing and coaching front. It will not be easy on such a tight and still decreasing budget but there is much to be optimistic about. For a club of our size and resourses, the dizzy heights of major cup wins or European campaigns may only come every quarter of a century or so, if they come at all. The trick to footballing contentment is so enjoy and relish the more modest successes in the meantime and promotion back to the Premiership or maybe a run to a Scottish Cup or league Cup semi final would be a very good start in that respect.

I doubt that Hearts regard the League Cup as a 'Diddy' competition. Like all but one club in Scotland at the moment, it represents one of only two realistic opportunities they have to land silverware.

Me too. Which other fans are being criticised?

Hearts failing to secure full points today against Raith Rovers puts the cat among the pigeons. Especially, if they forfeit the points for the Cove Rangers match.

Penalties, when awarded, still have to be converted which is a skill in itself. I agree that there were better and more entertaining forwards at the tournament but, whether from the penalty spot or not, Harry Kane scored more goals than anyone else so was the deserved winner of the Golden Boot.

Agreed and that would also be a fair and proportionate response for what is effectively a mini league rather than a knock out situation at this stage.

Let's not get paranoid. Never a good quality.

I suspect that they will forfeit the three points. If so, quite an incentive for ourselves and Raith Rovers.

Brora are not amateur, they are part time professional but, that pedantic observation apart, I agree entirely. Everyone deserves a second chance but he needs to change that attitude and change it now.

He needs to be taken into the manager's office first thing in the morning and told that that sort of conduct will not be tolerated. We paid heavily for poor discipline last season and can't afford to again. An apology to Brora, his victim and his own team mates would not go amiss either.

There were times, quite a few of them, where Jake could have done with being a bit more professional himself.

I wasn't aware that Daniel McKay had been away.

We have been very fortunate with the way these group fixtures have panned out. Playing weak Highland League teams with split squads may have engendered a certain level of fitness but was never an adequate pre season for the competitive season ahead. Thanks to the SPFL fixture computer we have now been able to step up by playing a much better Highland League team with a full squad and to step up again by playing a league side. Maybe something we should bear in mind for pre season next season when the fixture fairy might not be so kind to us again.