ST MIRREN have been awarded a 3-0 victory in their opening Premier Sports Cup group stage match after Dumbarton were forced to forfeit.

Dumbarton informed the SPFL that a player had tested positive for Covid-19 and, as a result of close contacts and player injuries, they did not have sufficient players available to fulfil the fixture.

An SPFL spokesman said: “Consistent with previous announcements in respect of similar issues in the group stage of this competition, any team unable or unwilling to field a team in a Premier Sports Cup Round 1 group stage tie, will forfeit the match on the basis of a 3-0 defeat. Accordingly, St Mirren have been awarded a 3-0 win in the tie.”

Dumbarton say the player in question has not attended the C&G Systems Stadium since last Saturday's friendly with Clydebank.

They added in a statement: “We apologise for the disappointment this will cause, as we were very much looking forward to returning to competitive action with our fans in our stadium.

“However, we hope that supporters of each team will understand the need to take precautions in these circumstances, which has resulted in our application to the SPFL to have the game cancelled.

“If any supporter has purchased a ticket for the game, or a live stream, and wishes a refund, we ask that they contact jsibbald.dfc@gmail.com to allow this to be processed.

“We will keep our supporters notified of developments regarding future fixtures. Keep well, stay safe, and we will see you soon.”

Saturday’s postponement comes after Ross County had to forfeit their League Cup opener against Forfar following a Covid-19 outbreak.

The Scottish Professional Football League announced Forfar had been awarded a 3-0 victory after County informed the board they could not fulfil Saturday’s fixture.

The Dingwall club announced on Tuesday they had suspended football operations after a number of players and staff tested positive for coronavirus.