St Andrews United: Ahead of Scottish Cup tie this Saturday, Saints boss Robbie Raeside hoping his players will be inspired by Darvel's exploits

Ahead of this Saturday’s eagerly-awaited home match against Haddington Athletic in the Scottish Cup second preliminary round (kick-off 2.30pm), St Andrews United boss Robbie Raeside is hoping his players will be inspired by the stunning exploits of lower league Darvel in last season’s tournament.
By Craig Goldthorp
Published 31st Aug 2023, 10:23 BST
Updated 31st Aug 2023, 10:26 BST
Darvel manager Mick Kennedy and owner John Gall lead celebrations after their shock win over Aberdeen last season (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group)Darvel manager Mick Kennedy and owner John Gall lead celebrations after their shock win over Aberdeen last season (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group)
Darvel manager Mick Kennedy and owner John Gall lead celebrations after their shock win over Aberdeen last season (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group)

Despite then playing in the sixth tier, the West of Scotland Premier Division, the Ayrshire minnows beat top flight Aberdeen 1-0 at home in the fourth round in what is rated the competition’s biggest ever shock, having defeated Haddington Athletic, Tynecastle, Dalbeattie Star and Montrose in earlier rounds.

"I don't think you can argue against that being the biggest shock ever in Scottish football,” Raeside told the Herald and Citizen. "For a team that's not even in the leagues to beat a premier league club is a phenomenal result.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"It was remarkable. It shows what can be achieved with organisation, teamwork and good team spirit because you can't say that Darvel had better players than Aberdeen.

Robbie Raeside will lead St Andrews United into Scottish Cup campaign this Saturday (Pic by John Stevenson)Robbie Raeside will lead St Andrews United into Scottish Cup campaign this Saturday (Pic by John Stevenson)
Robbie Raeside will lead St Andrews United into Scottish Cup campaign this Saturday (Pic by John Stevenson)

"In football anybody can beat anybody on any given day and that shows the romance of the cup. For sure, I will be looking for a similar work ethic to what Darvel showed last season when my boys play in the Scottish Cup.

"Winning a few ties is the dream of all the clubs at our level that are getting entry to the Scottish Cup early rounds.

"It's an opportunity for players to test themselves against teams from higher divisions and also every round you win in the Scottish Cup is bound to help a club financially which is important as well.”

Related topics:St Andrews UnitedMontroseTynecastleDalbeattie Star

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.