Ross questions Irn-Bru cup rules over Colt teams
ST MIRREN manager Jack Ross says that the SPFL need to be careful not to devalue the Irn-Bru Cup, believing there to be anomalies around the participation of Colt teams.
The Saints boss feels that the participation of youth sides in the tournament is a positive thing overall, but he does feel that there are certain issues, chiefly around who loan players turn out for, that need to be addressed.
“It’s a peculiar competition now,” he said.
“The Colts side I was always quite positive about, but then I had never been drawn against a Colts team! It’s easy then to stay positive about it.
“I’m not against it, but I think it’s strange and it’s a very difficult thing to get right, because there are anomalies with the rules around it I think.
“For example, on Saturday, there’s a number of Hearts boys out on loan whose team are playing in that competition, but they will probably be playing for Hearts in it.
“I think things like that devalue it more than the participation of those teams in the tournament.
“There are players at Stirling Albion for exam- ple. Now, Stirling Albion are in the tournament, but the loan players will play for Hearts in it. As a development loan, they are allowed to play for their team.
“Ryan Hardie played for Rangers in the Irn-Bru Cup and scored when he was on-loan at St Mirren.
“Things like that bother me more than the actual participation of the team. You have to be careful you don’t devalue the tournament too much.”
Ross admits that it has been tricky to prepare thoroughly for today’s Irn-Bru cup tie at home to Hearts Colts, with the under-20 side’s personnel hard to pin down on a weekly basis.
“There are five overagers available, and that’s challenging, because you don’t really know what you are going to face.” DUMBARTON boss Stevie Aitken is excited by the deadline day addition of Dimitris Froxylias to his squad, believing the GreekCypriot will “get bums off seats” this season.
Aitken says that the Sons have landed a real flair player in the former AEK Athens attacking midfielder, and he reckons that he will be opening up Championship defences in no time.
“He’s an exciting player,” Aitken said. “He is left-sided and has bags of flair, and he’s one of those players that gets bums off of seats.
“He comes here with a great pedigree. When he was 17, he was the youngest ever player to appear for AEK Athens in Europe, and you can see that he has that real quality in his game.
“In the early part of the season, unlocking defences has been an issue for us, and I think that he can address that.”
Froxylias may make his competitive debut for