Betfred Cup round-up: Arbroath edge Dundee United on penalties
Ross County, Partick Thistle and Inverness also secured Betfred Cup wins
Saturday 14 July 2018 19:01, UK
Dundee United suffered a disappointing start to the season with a Betfred Cup penalty shootout defeat to Arbroath at Tannadice.
Csaba Laszlo signed Adam Barton from Ladbrokes Championship rivals Partick Thistle hours before their cup campaign kicked off but there were warning signs as early as the fifth minute when Ryan Wallace missed a penalty for the visitors.
Nicky Clark netted a debut goal in the 77th minute after slotting home from fellow summer signing Fraser Aird's ball but Arbroath equalised five minutes later through Bobby Linn's penalty and the same player sealed a bonus point when he made it 5-3 in the shootout.
Ross County went top of Group A after second-half goals from Declan McManus and Josh Mullin gave them a 2-0 derby win over Elgin.
Falkirk suffered a surprise defeat to Montrose in Group B thanks to Martin Rennie's only goal in the 19th minute.
On-loan Motherwell midfielder Shea Gordon scored twice in the first six minutes of his Partick Thistle debut as the Jags won 2-0 at Stenhousemuir.
In the other Group E fixture, Lawrence Shankland netted a hat-trick as Ayr bounced back from Michael Tidser's early goal to beat Morton 3-1 at Somerset Park.
In Group C, Inverness got their campaign off to a winning start thanks to Nathan Austin's first-half double as they saw off Highland League champions Cove Rangers 2-0.
Cowdenbeath striker Jordyn Sheerin also helped himself to a double as the Blue Brazil claimed a shock 2-0 Fife derby win over Raith Rovers.
Queen of the South went top of Group G despite falling two behind inside nine minutes against Stranraer, who scored through Chris McGowan and Luke Donnelly.
Gary Harkins, Stephen Dobbie and Lyndon Dykes all scored in the final five minutes minutes before the break to turn the game on its head and Andy Stirling made it four. Kyle Turner pulled one back before Dobbie rounded off the scoring to make it 5-3 late on.
Edinburgh City secured a bonus point against Clyde but were left to rue Martin McNiff's second-half stoppage-time equaliser after Conrad Balatoni's header looked to have sealed all three points.
Grant Adam saved two penalties as Dumbarton claimed a bonus point in Group H after a goalless draw with Spartans, while Peterhead sealed a bonus point after a goalless draw against Brechin in Group D.
