Students' first round Scottish Cup tie to be televised by BBC
The University’s history-making men’s football first team will begin another tilt at the Scottish Cup.
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The University’s history-making men’s football first team will begin another tilt at the Scottish Cup with a televised match against Albion Rovers – a side they defeated during last year’s run.
Stirling men’s team became the first student side to reach the last 32 of the knockout competition in 50 years with a thrilling 1-0 extra time win at Albion Rovers in November 2022.
It took Premiership side Dundee United to end the cup run in a match at Tannadice which attracted a 1,200-strong travelling support.
BBC Scotland is to screen this year’s first round showdown with Albion, but the students are hopeful that hundreds will again go through the turnstiles and support them from the stands.
And this time it’s a home tie, with the match to take place at Forthbank Stadium, Stirling, at 7.05pm on September 25. Tickets are available here.
Head coach, Chris Geddes, said: “The Scottish Cup is always a great competition to play in, so for our players and the University it's a great opportunity.
“Last year was an incredible experience for everyone involved and it was great to see so many people supporting us on the historic run. Hopefully everyone can come out and support the side again because it will be a tough game.”
Last year’s cup tie saw the sides tied at 0-0 after 90 minutes, with Albion missing a penalty before the deadlock was finally broken with a 111th-minute extra time winner.
The students played Albion on Wednesday night with the Lowland League match ending in a tight 2-2 draw so the cup match could be another closely fought encounter.
Exciting tie
David Bond, the University of Stirling’s Head of Performance Sport, said: “After the drama of last year’s Scottish Cup fixture against Albion Rovers, this has the potential to be another exciting tie.
“Last year’s Scottish Cup run shows what can be achieved by a student team in this competition.
“The support and backing from the University community will hopefully give the team the lift they need to progress, so we look forward to welcoming a big crowd to Forthbank on September 25.”
The University's Executive Director of Sport, Cathy Gallagher, said: "As we welcome thousands of new and returning students to campus, our Scottish Cup fixture at home to Albion Rovers is a fantastic opportunity to kick start the beginning of another academic year.
"The amazing memories of our run to the fourth round of the cup last season still reverberate around the University and we will be aiming to fill the stands again to support Chris and the squad.
"We led the way for university football in the UK last year and it’s deserving that the fixture will be shown live on the BBC, providing the opportunity for an even bigger audience to appreciate the standard and quality on show.
"Hopefully this will be the first step in another great journey, so let’s get to Forthbank Stadium on September 25 to support the team."
Sporting excellence
Stirling is Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence, with world-class facilities providing the perfect training environment for the University’s sports scholars
The University offers sports scholarships as part of the largest high-performance sports programme in the UK. For more information, visit the University of Stirling website.