Binos face tough task in the Premier Sports Cup

Stirling Albion will kick off the new season with a Premier Sports Cup tie away to League 2 rivals Dumbarton on Saturday, July 9.

The full fixture list was confirmed by the SPFL on Friday with the Binos also up against Aberdeen, Raith Rovers and Peterhead in Group A.

The eight group winners and three best runners-up will join European representatives Celtic, Rangers, Heart of Midlothian,

Dundee United and Motherwell in the last 16 on August 30/31.

The Binos’opener against the Sons will be the first meeting of the teams for a decade, when both were in the Second Division. Dumbarton won three of the four encounters on their way to promotion in 2011/12.

Darren Young’s men are then in action on Saturday, July 16 with a trip to Stark’s Park to play Raith Rovers, their first visit since July 2013.

The Kirkcaldy club recently appointed former Airdrie boss Ian Murray following the departure of John Mcglynn to Falkirk and finished fifth in the cinch Championship last season.

The club’s big game in the group is against manager Darren Young’s former club Aberdeen at Forthbank on Tuesday, July 19.

You have to go back to September 1997 for the last meeting of the clubs - a League Cup quarter-final at Forthbank. Albion had stunned Kilmarnock 6-2 in the previous round but early goals from Joe Miller and Stephen Glass saw the visitors progress.

Stirling complete their Group A schedule against Peterhead at Forthbank on Saturday, July 23.

The squad will return to pre-season training on Thursday, June 9 and are likely to play a number of friendly matches before the real action gets under way.

Young said:“it’s an exciting draw but they were always going to be hard games when you are in pot five. I’m sure Aberdeen will bring a big support down when we play them and it’s one for us to look forward to.

“I was in my first season with them as a player when they won the League Cup (against Dundee in 1995) but was just in the youth team at the time.

“I’m happy with the way the squad is coming together but we still need to add players and I’m hoping we’ll be able to confirm one or two in the near future.”