Rovers exit not all bad

QoS .......................... 2 Albion Rovers.. ....... .2 Albion Rovers top scorer Alan Trouten hopes they can keep their Betfred Cup momentum going in their League One campaign.

The Cliftonhill side were pegged back twice by Championship outfit Queen of the South – stopping them from topping the Betfred Cup group and reaching the last 16.

Rovers took the lead after a neat passing move saw Trouten beat two defenders and drive the ball under Alan Martin. Stephen Dobbie’s thundering shot from outside the box levelled the game, before Trouten grabbed his second from the penalty spot.

The game was level late on as an unmarked Darren Brownlie was first to the ball from a corner to head past George Bowman after 85 minutes.

With Hamilton winning against Stenhousemuir, no team could secure enough points to be amongst the best runners-up as they prepared for the shoot-out. Martin saved spot-kicks from Gary Fisher and Ross Davidson to secure the extra point for Queens.

That performance follows a 4-4 draw with Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Accies at Cliftonhill – where Trouten scored a hat-trick and the winner in the penalty shoot-out to grab a bonus point.

Trouten, who scored seven goals in four games, is confident going into the season. He said: ”We want to take these performances into the league. That’s the most important thing.”