Arbroath were on a cusp of winning promotion to the Premiership just a couple of seasons ago, and though their fortunes have fallen since then, a trip to Gayfield is not one that any side will relish. The open ground is typically battered by the wind – a fact lamented by Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin after a 1-1 draw there last weekend.

Indeed, the Red Lichties will have taken heart from their ability to come from behind to secure a deserved draw against a team that will be playing European football this season, particularly after they finished last term so well.

They have a team that is experienced throughout but has not shown signs of being over the hill, and St Mirren will have to be wary of this mix.

Saints are likely to be without new central defensive signing Richard King, who has started training but is set to miss out due to injury. Stephen Robinson’s side have won all three pre-season games, but they have not faced the type of unique test they’ll get in Angus, where they’ve not played in more than 20 years.

It’s difficult to know what to expect of Hamilton ahead of their trip to Stirling on Saturday. The supporters are at war with the club due to the shambolic running of the side, which has forced them to leave their home for Cumbernauld this season.

Accies have not played a pre-season match open to the public and they were routed 4-1 by Partick Thistle in a close-doors fixture last weekend. So secretive have the club been, the team lineup from that encounter has not even emerged. In short, Hamilton are going into competitive action as a major unknown.

Stirling, meanwhile, look a very solid League Two outfit who have recruited smartly in the summer. In particular, the addition of Ross Cunningham should give Alan Maybury’s side more threat from the midfield while retaining Player of the Year Adam Brown was a further boost this summer.

The home side are overpriced as underdogs coming into this encounter, particularly as they have already managed to assemble a squad that has significant depth.

These sides played in Hamilton last season in the League Cup, with Stirling winning via a penalty-shootout.

Queen’s Park are another crisis club, with the Hampden outfit forced into a major reshuffle over the summer that has seen their ambitions significantly curtailed. Do not expect the Spiders to be a force in the promotion battle, and this early-season clash with Spartans in Edinburgh could give a first warning of what’s to come.

QP have lost some of their most important starting players. Losing the midfield pair of Jack Thomson and Jack Turner over the summer represents a substantial blow, particularly as Zak Rudden and Cammy Kerr have also departed.

Pre-season results point to difficulties. They lost 1-0 against a very young Celtic side and were held 3-3 by Albion Rovers.

Spartans, meanwhile, are unlikely to be pushovers at home. They won 10 of their 18 home league games last season in the league and recorded a famous victory over Ross County in the second round of the League Cup.

Douglas Samuel sets his side up in a manner that’s tough to beeat, and with an experienced starting XI, including Sean Welsh, recruited from Queen’s Park this summer, they will be no pushovers.