St Mirren v Dunfermilne
Sunday 14th July 1500hrs
Football – Scotland– League Cup
Pick St Mirren
BookmakerMarathon Bet
Odds: 18/25 (odds taken 19.00 GMT, Friday 12th July)
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63/100 | 57/20 | 39/10 |
* (Betting Odds were taken from 22Bet on July 12th, 2019 at 19.00)
Jim Goodwin enjoyed his time as player when at St Mirren and he has returned to the club as manager. His first game is the visit of Dunfermilne who themselves are under the care of a rookie coach.
Scottish League Cup Betting at Marathon Bet
St Mirren Preview – Can Jim Goodwin get his St Mirren managerial career off to a winning start?
St Mirren were promoted to the Premiership as champions in 2017/18 but last season was a struggle from the outset. Having lost Jack Ross before the season started, Alan Stubbs was appointed manager but lasted less than a month into the league season. His replacement was a bold choice in the form of Oran Kearney who had never coached senior football before. Despite a less than convincing start, Kearney managed to keep the Buddies in the top flight. It went all the way to the playoff final where they defeated Dundee United on penalties. That was just the start of the drama, however, as a prolonged saga over Kearney’s future began to play out.
The end result was another change in manager and Goodwin was the obvious choice this time around. As well as being a former captain, Goodwin done a tremendous job in charge of Alloa keeping them in the Championship against all odds. He’s earned his chance and is a popular appointment amongst the supporters. The Saints have had mixed fortunes in this competition in recent seasons. They made it out the group stage last year but were subsequently thumped 4-0 by Aberdeen in the first knockout phase. The draw has been relatively kind to them this time and qualification will be the expectation once again.
Dunfermilne Preview – Will Dunfermilne take the spoils and ruin Goodwin’s homecoming?
Stevie Crawford took over as Dunfermilne boss in January and just about steadied the ship to keep them in the Championship. It was a really poor end to the campaign which seen them lose their last five and not win any of their final eight games in the league. In many ways it skewed their final league position and how close they were to the relegation zone. It could be argued that when their playoff chances came to an end their motivation dipped. The challenge for Crawford, as an unproven manager, is erasing that from the supporter’s mind and he needs some results fast for that. Like Goodwin, Crawford was a successful player for the club he’s now in charge of. That will buy him some goodwill, but only for so long.
Crawford will be hoping that the Pars can repeat their effort from last season in the group stage of the League Cup. Dunfermilne were one of only two teams who had a 100% record at this stage. It set them up for a clash with Hearts which they narrowly lost 1-0. If they can manage to qualify again then it would be seen as a success.
Key-Facts – St Mirren v Dunfermilne
- This will be Jim Goodwin’s first game in charge of St Mirren having been successful with Alloa in recent seasons
- Dunfermilne were one of only two teams who had a 100% record in last year’s group stage
- Albion Rovers, Edinburgh City and East Kilbride make up this section – both these teams will be looking to qualify from it
St Mirren v Dunfermilne Betting Advice
The start of the season is always an exciting time for supporters and that’s added to when you have a new manager. For all intents and purposes that applies to both St Mirren and Dunfermilne who will be eager to see what lies in store. They also have fond memories of last season’s group stage so it makes for an intriguing game on Sunday.
With so much change at both clubs it’s difficult to get a feel for where they are coming into this. Goodwin will be under the most pressure to get a result being at home and being the Premiership side. The Saints have also lost only two of their last 12 home games in this competition. They can get the Goodwin era off to a winning start.
