BARRY FERGUSON has praised Scottish football chiefs for trying to be innovative with the new Betfred Cup format this season.

But the Clyde boss insists the competition has to take on a lower priority yet again as he targets promotion from League Two in the coming campaign.

The Bully Wee suffered a defeat on their return to action on Saturday as Kilmarnock ran out 2-1 winners to claim all three points at Broadwood.

It means Ferguson’s side are bottom of the Group F standings ahead of their trip to Morton tonight as they look to get their first win on the board.

But the Clyde chief knows the cup ties have to be warm-up acts for the main focus and a shot at the fourth tier title this term.

Ferguson said: “Our bread and butter is the league this year. The last couple of years I have been at the club we have progressed each season and this year we need to try and get up a league.

“It is good to be in the cup competitions but the bread and butter is the league and we want to try and achieve something in the league this year.

“It is a bit strange only being three weeks into pre-season and you are playing cup games but that is the rules and we just need to get on with it. There are no complaints.

“Normally we would only have played one game, or the first game of pre-season would have been [on Saturday]. It has been different.

“But it is about time Scottish football did something different so I will give them a pat on the back for that. Maybe it is a bit too early because it is only three weeks into pre-season.

“Bearing in mind we got beat in the play-off final so we didn’t finish [until later]. It was the same as Kilmarnock, we finished roughly the same time as them.”