Spartans goalkeeper Blair Carswell hopes lightning strikes twice against Livingston
Firmly on the horizon is a mouthwatering Premier Sports Cup quarter-final clash against Premiership high-flyers Aberdeen at Pittodrie, and this weekend second-tier Livingston pitch up at Ainslie Park with a place in the fourth round of the SPFL Trust Trophy up for grabs.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDougie Samuel's men have started the 2024/2025 campaign in fine fashion, taking the scalps of both Livi and Ross County in the League Cup group stage and last-16 respectively.
The club have also got off on a sound footing in the league with five points from a possible 12.
And having already overcome David Martindale's outfit - a 1-0 success at Home of the Set Fare Arena at the end of July, a win that secured top spot in Premier Sports Cup Group E - Carswell is relishing the opportunity to upset the apple cart once more.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe 29-year-old said: "A cup game against top level opposition is always a good test for the lads. Our focus will always be the league but it's a nice break all the same.
"It will be a different match to the one we faced earlier in the season. That was a great day and unreal moment when we knew we'd won the group. Hopefully it's the same outcome on Saturday but we know it's going to be really difficult. They're a top side and I'm sure this season they'll try to push on and and get promoted back to the Premiership. But we can take confidence having beaten them already the season so we have nothing to fear.
"We've managed good wins already against Livingston and Ross County. But in terms of playing in these big cup games and constantly facing top-level opposition, it is difficult to sustain those levels required. It's another opportunity for us to go out and express ourselves and show how good we can be. There's never going to be any real pressure on us getting to the latter stages of these competitions."
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCarswell has been a mainstay between the sticks since the club's East of Scotland League days, embracing every moment of Spartans rise up the divisions. And with a trip to the Granite City now just a fortnight away, another historic chapter beckons for the Capital men.
"It's been absolutely brilliant," he explained. "There are times when you have to sit back and think about how far we've come. You have to enjoy these moments and keep trying to do better and make more memories for the club. It's exciting but scary at the same time when you look back to some of the pitches we used to play on in the East of Scotland League and here we now are in the last eight of the League Cup. It's totally surreal.
"You can't beat about the bush. It's the big glamour tie that we are looking forward to and one the club has been preparing for since the draw was made. But we've got a big cup tie first this weekend and then two important league games before Aberdeen, home to Forfar and then away to Elgin on the Tuesday. We want to try and get a couple of good results to set us up for that one.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"We've had a lot of games in such a short space of time so it's pretty full on. Like any good team, you can't win them all. Dougie has always been good in terms of keeping the lid on things when there is a bit of hype around the place - not getting too high and too low when things don't go your way. The boys have been great so far and long may it continue."
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.