Aberdeen beat Queen's Park as Robinson questions League Cup format

Aberdeen made it two wins from two in Premier Sports Cup Group A with a 2-1 victory over Queen's Park at Pittodrie on Saturday, but manager Stephen Robinson used the result to renew his criticism of the competition's early group stage.

Robinson, who won the trophy as St Mirren manager last season, told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound that the first-round fixtures arrive far too soon after the summer break, describing them as competitive matches squeezed into the opening weeks of pre-season.

What happened

Aberdeen opened their group campaign with a 2-0 win away at Brora Rangers on Tuesday before Saturday's narrow home success against Queen's Park. The results leave the Dons unbeaten and well placed in Group A, though Robinson was candid about the wider picture.

"I don't like the format of the competition. The competitive games come really, really early," he said. "We use it for what it is, we get our fitness, we get things we're keeping trying and we know there's lots of things to be better at."

• Aberdeen beat Queen's Park 2-1 at Pittodrie after a 2-0 win at Brora Rangers
• Stephen Robinson won the League Cup as St Mirren manager last season
• The first-round group format was introduced in 2016, with 40 clubs in eight groups
• Clubs playing in Europe enter at the knockout stage from round two
• St Mirren have also won both group games, scoring eight goals without reply

Robinson added that the number of new arrivals at the club has complicated preparations, with players still adjusting to each other and at differing levels of fitness. "Ultimately, it's a pre-season game that you need to win, simply you have to win," he said.

The wider debate

Callum Davidson, who lifted the League Cup as St Johnstone manager in 2021, offered a counterweight on Sportsound. He argued that a strong start can breed confidence and help embed a manager's ideas, pointing to St Mirren's two convincing group wins as an example of the format's upside, while acknowledging it can be intense and produce upsets early on. Dundee United and Falkirk were both reported to have suffered surprise midweek defeats by lower-league opposition.

Aberdeen now travel to Dumfries to face Queen of the South on Tuesday at 19:45 BST before finishing the group stage at home to Kelty Hearts on Saturday. How Robinson's side handle that quick turnaround may shape the momentum the group stage is designed to create.