CIS Cup: Holders Hibs, Fifers fall

By: Ian Rose | September 26th, 2007

The third round of the CIS Insurance Cup (aka Scotland’s league cup) is over, and we have our eight quarter-finalists. As was to be expected today, both of the Old Firm survived. Rangers stomped Third Division East Fife 4-0, with two (including a penalty) from Kris Boyd and one each from Nacho Novo (still my favorite name in the SPL) and new superdefender / SPL Man of August Carlos Cuellar. Celtic was a little less dominating but still quite up to the task against second-tier Dundee, going up 2-0 on goals from the red-hot scoring machine that is Scott McDonald, and the long-named one, Jan Vennegor of Hesselink, before conceding a meaningless late one and finishing 2-1. Hibernian, the defending Cup holders, will not raise a second straight at Hampden, after losing 4-2 to what could be the surprise team of the year in Scotland, Motherwell. They were a borderline relegation side last season, but with 12 points from their first 7 matches, they look able to make a run at the top half, and a spot in the quarterfinals of the Cup is none too shabby either. In the last match, Aberdeen got a win that should bring some smiles to a team and fan base that has had little to grin about so far this season, taking Partick 2-0. Andrew Considine, a young hope for the future of both Aberdeen and Scotland, scored one off of a corner, and Derek Young popped in one of his own to seal it. Considine was saved early in the match, after his foul on Mark Roberts brought Roberts to the penalty spot, only to whack one off of the bar.

After the losses of East Fife, Dundee and Partick, Hamilton is the one and only non-SPL side in the quarterfinals. Good luck to them, unless of course they face my Caley.