Falkirk forfeit a second Premier Sport Cup tie as game with Ayr is cancelled

Falkirk have forfeited a second Premier Sport Cup tie this week after their match against Ayr United on Saturday was cancelled due to coronavirus issues.

Edinburgh City were awarded a 3-0 Premier Sports Cup Group win over the Bairns when they could not fulfil their Wednesday night fixture after a number of Falkirk players tested positive for Covid-19, with others deemed close contacts which meant there were not sufficient numbers available to play the fixture.

A statement from the Scottish Professional Football League confirmed another match had fallen to the virus.

An SPFL spokesman said: “Consistent with previous announcements in respect of similar issues in the group stage of this competition, any club unable or unwilling to field a team in a Premier Sports Cup Round 1 group stage tie, (Falkirk) will forfeit the match on the basis of a 3-0 defeat. Accordingly, Ayr United have been awarded a 3-0 win in the tie.

“We wish the affected players at Falkirk well in their recovery and will continue to liaise with the club in the coming days.”

The results mean Ayr United have won Group E. Hamilton will hope they can qualify as one of the four best runners up when they play Albion Rovers on Saturday.