In the final Premier Sports Cup home fixture for the 2026/27 campaign, Kelty Hearts welcome Highland League champions Brora Rangers.

For Kelty’s fourth match of the Premier Sports Cup group stage, and Brora’s final, it is a reverse fixture of last season’s meeting in the same competition. Goals from Craig Johnston, Alex Ferguson and a brace from Robbie Cole saw the Maroon Machine storm to a 4-0 victory that day at Dudgeon Park.

Since then, Brora went onto have a successful campaign last season winning the Highland League by a single point ahead of Brechin City. They made it to SPFL Pyramid play-off final against Edinburgh City but came up short as three goals by Divine Iserhienrhien over two legs saw Michael McIndoe’s side come out 3-1 winners.

This year, the Highlanders have ultimately come up short against the three full-time teams they have faced so far. Despite taking the lead against Queen’s Park on match-day one the Spiders came from behind to win 3-1. The following two games at Dudgeon Park saw two losses without a response, losing 2-0 and 3-0 to Aberdeen and Queen of the South respectively.

In Group A, Queen’s Park and Aberdeen sit top of the group with six points with the Premiership side having two games left to play. Kelty’s haul of two points, potentially rising to five, would not be enough to progress through.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s clash, Thomas O’Ware told Kelty Hearts TV: “Our job is to keep improving on performances and hopefully we can find a way to win games. We’ve done really well in the last two games in large spells with the ball but we need to create more chances.

“On Saturday (vs Queen of the South) we created them and didn’t take them and I thought tonight (vs Queen’s Park) we could’ve done a bit better in the final third, granted we were coming up against a really good side. We need to replicate that for ourselves going forward.”

Written by: Jamie Szmitz

Photography: Kevin Marshall (@KayemPhoto)