Motherwell were handed an away tie against St Johnstone in the Premier Sports Cup second round.
Motherwell paid the price for a dropped point in the first game of the group stage and failed to be seeded in this draw. It can be argued that this is a good outcome for the Steelmen as they avoided Premier League opposition.
However, ‘Well fans will remember that the last knockout visit to McDiarmid Park ended with a 2-1 loss as Motherwell were dumped out of the Scottish Cup. That defeat was followed immediately by another loss at the same venue and prompted the resignation of manager Kettlewell.
St Johnstone are now a Championship side and Simo Valakari will be keen to earn another win over his old club.
At the same stage last season Motherwell drew Kilmarnock and thanks to an extra-time goal from Moses Ebiye we progressed to the quarter-final. That delivered a home tie against Dundee United that was settled by an extra-time penalty by Lennon Miller. On we went to Hampden for a clash with Rangers.
The second round ties are scheduled for the weekend on 16/17 August and the confirmed date will be announced following consultation with Premier Sports.
The full draw is -
Celtic v Falkirk
Kilmarnock v Dundee Utd
Rangers v Alloa
Livingston v Hibernian
St Johnstone v Motherwell
Greenock Morton v Aberdeen
Partick Thistle v Ayr
St Mirren v Hearts
