Gala Fairydean Rovers to play fifth-tier new faces Largs Thistle in Scottish Cup

That round-of-30 tie will be the two clubs’ first meeting in combined histories totalling a century and a half, the Borderers dating back to 2013 in their current form and their upcoming North Ayrshire opponents having been founded back in 1889.

To be played at the former’s Netherdale Stadium home ground on Saturday, October 3, with kick-off at 3pm, it will also be Thistle’s first Scottish Cup game ever.

Fairydean were founder members of the old Scottish Lowland Football League 13 years ago and are currently second from bottom of its new 16-team eastern half, on three points from seven fixtures.

Thistle, however, are newcomers to Scottish football’s fifth tier, having joined the Lowland league’s new 17-strong western half in the summer after finishing fifth in the West of Scotland Football League’s premier division last season, on 46 points from 30 fixtures. They’re sixth in the table at the moment, on 16 points from eight matches, after losing 4-0 away to Clydebank on Saturday.

Sunday’s first-round draw, made by broadcaster Gordon Duncan and Raith Rovers defender Paul Hanlon, followed a 2-0 league defeat for manager Martin Scott’s Rovers away to Musselburgh Athletic the day before.

The East Lothian outfit’s goals against visitors left a man short by a 54th-minute red card for Daniel Martins were scored by Owen Hastie on 16 minutes and Liam Buchanan on 76.

Though that match was the two teams’ first competitive meeting, they’ve previously played two pre-season friendlies for the John McLay Memorial Trophy, a tribute to a late fan of both clubs, with Musselburgh winning both, by 3-2 in the Borders last July and 4-1 at home 12 months prior to that, and they retained that cup at their Olivebank Arena home ground on Saturday due to their league fixture being contested as a double-header.

Besides Martins, Fairydean’s starters, captained by Danny Galbraith, were Reece Murray in goal, McKenzye Campbell, Liam Fagan, Greg Macpherson, Lewis Hall, Lennon Connolly, Jared Lions, Noah Simpson and Ethan Dougal, with David Chalmers, Tylar Denholm, Arnault Kasa, Gregor Lamb, Che Reilly, Daniel Strickland and Zack Tomany as substitutes.

Next up for Rovers is a visit from Bonnyrigg Rose this Wednesday and a trip to East Lothian to take on Tranent this coming Saturday, with kick-offs at 7.45pm and 3pm respectively.

The latter will be their second game of this season against Tranent, the first being a 4-1 South Region Challenge Cup first-round defeat on home turf in August.

It will also be their fourth meeting of 2026 following two games in March, a 2-1 Scottish Lowland Football League Cup semi-final win at home for Rovers and a loss by the same scoreline on the road in the league two weeks later.

Though Gala are the only Borderers to feature in round one of this season’s cup – Coldstream, Hawick Royal Albert and Vale of Leithen all having gone out in August’s first two preliminary rounds – nearby Northumbrians Berwick Rangers are also among the 60 teams competing and they’ll be away to eastern Lowland league rivals Cowdenbeath come October 3.