Hamilton boss Brian Rice won't treat the Premier Sports Cup like a pre-season exercise and says the club are eager to make up for last season's disappointing run in the competition.
Accies kick off their season against Edinburgh City at Ainslie Park in their Group E opener tonight, and Rice wants to get off to a good start.
His side last season lost group stage games against Annan Athletic and Stranraer as they failed to get out of their section, and Rice is keen to avoid a repeat.
"We were disappointing in the cup last year, we know that, so we want to get off to a good start,” said Rice.
“We want to set out our stall early on, but in my opinion these cup games come a bit too early for everybody, for every club.
“But we need to deal with it, and we will deal with it.
"Some people like to use [the group stages] as pre-season but fans don’t see it as pre-season, so we know how important it is.
“It’s a cup competition, there are only two you can win – the Scottish Cup and this one – so we want to give it a good go."
Fans being allowed back in to games for the competition is a major boost to clubs, and Rice says that could make all the difference.
"It’s going to be massive to have fans back in," he said. "Football is all about the fans, you see the difference the Euros have made with fans there – the atmosphere and level of performance goes up.
“The players have missed it, just as much as the fans have, and we’re looking forward to getting the crowds back in.
“It will make it a bit more real."
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