Tom Duthie: Betfred Cup group format was a success

When the new League Cup format was announced I was one of the sceptics.

Being old enough to remember the last time sections were used, I wasn’t sure if reintroducing them was a step in the right direction.

I’m happy to admit I was wrong and I’ve enjoyed the last couple of weeks of competitive action — more than some Premiership teams have.

And, with some tweaking, I think the new set up has a future.

Maybe next year the group stages should start a week later. That’s not making excuses for sides who were clearly not ready for the early start but players need a decent break during the summer and a slightly later start would help.

I would keep the penalty shoot-outs after drawn matches that give the team that wins them a bonus point.

I’d even give them more importance and use head-to-head records as the first criteria for deciding finishing positions when two sides end up with the same points total.