ALLOA will face rivals Stirling Albion in their League Cup campaign in the group stages of the tournament.

The groups were confirmed in the draw on Thursday, which found the Wasps in group A alongside the Binos, Premiership side St Johnstone, Championship club Ayr and League Two’s Stenhousemuir.

Escaping the group stage will be no easy feat for Brian Rice’s men, with a League One derby and clashes with two upper league teams on the cards, but it will be one Alloa will relish coming off the back of a good season.

The clash with Ayr United will see a reunion with defender George Stanger, who signed for The Honest Men last week.

The Wasps kickstart their pre-season preparations with the highly-anticipated testimonial for Kevin Cawley on June 24.

A collection of Alloa legends will return to face off against the current squad, a fixture which has drawn back big names such as Greig Spence, Mark Docherty and Eddie Ferns return to the Recs.

Two more home fixtures follow, against Lowland League side Cumbernauld Colts and Championship side Greenock Morton on June 27 and July 1, respectively.

Next up is a trip to West Lothian to face Livingston at the Tony Macaroni on July 4, before hosting SPFL relegated Albion Rovers at the Recs on July 8.

The last fixture before the League Cup campaign begins is against Dunfermline on July 11, promoted into the Championship after finishing first in League One last season.

The 2023/24 League Cup first round of games will be held on the weekend of July 15 and 16, respectively.

Match times have been released for the testimonial, Cumbernauld, Morton and Albion Rovers games and can be found on the Alloa Athletic website.

Times for Livingston and Dunfermline will be released in due course.