With a new format for the Scottish League Cup beginning in July, Sport Times looks back to an earlier time when round-robin groups had to be negotiated...

With the return of the qualifying sections to the League Cup, can you tell me if there was ever an occasion when both of the Old Firm failed to make it to the knockout stages?

With a few exceptions in the early 1980s, the first 30 seasons of the Scottish League Cup, from its unofficial introduction in 1946, featured a preliminary sectional round. Only once did neither of the Old Firm make it out of the group stages, in 1959/60, when Raith Rovers topped Celtic’s group and Motherwell’s Ancell babes got the better of Rangers. Hearts eventually won the trophy that year, beating Third Lanark in the final.

Both teams have had consistent success, although in the early years Rangers were more prominent than Celtic, failing to reach the knockout stage only twice in the first 14 tournaments.

In contrast, Celtic only qualified from the sectional group once (in 1952) in the first 10 years. This run included finishing bottom of a four-team group including East Fife, Aberdeen and Airdrie in 1953/54. This record was partly redeemed by their second appearance in the final in season 1957/58, when they defeated Rangers 7-1 to record one of their most famous victories over their great rivals.

From the mid-60s onwards, Celtic began to catch up, knocking Rangers out in the group stage in four seasons out of five (1967/68 to 1971/72). Indeed, one of the surprising things about the League Cup sections is how often the Old Firm were actually drawn together in the same group, 11 times. Something that would give any modern day sponsor nightmares.

J DOCHERTY (Milton)

I have lived all of my life in the Milton area of Glasgow and I have recently been told that a player named Milton was an international footballer for England. I have not been able to find out anything about him. Is it true?

Arthur Milton was born in Bristol in 1928 and became a professional footballer with Arsenal, making his first team debut against Aston Villa on his 23rd birthday on 10 March, 1951. Incredibly, he won his first and only cap against Austria – a 2-2 draw – after only 12 first-team games for Arsenal.

Apart from his football ability, Milton was also a talented cricketer and he played for England in six Test matches, making his England debut in the 1958 Headingley Test match against New Zealand.