East Kilbride opened their season with a commanding 5-1 victory over Queen of the South, maintaining the strong form that led them to a title last year. The newly promoted side set the tone early, capitalizing on a penalty awarded within seven minutes after Rangers loanee Alexander Smith was fouled. Former Queen of the South player Craig McGuffie converted the spot kick and later added a second goal by capitalizing on a rebound just before the half-hour mark.

Queen of the South responded when Jack Stott scored from distance to reduce the deficit, but Finlay Gray restored East Kilbride’s two-goal lead with a headed goal before the break. Gray added a second goal in the second half, followed by a finish from Darragh O’Connor that slipped past Queen of the South’s goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet, completing the scoring for East Kilbride.

Elsewhere, Hamilton moved to the top of the table by defeating Montrose 5-0 on the road. The opening goal came via an own goal, as Kyle MacDonald’s low shot deflected off Montrose defender Sean McGinty and diverted into the net. Stuart McKinstry then opened his account with a goal shortly after, while Montrose’s Ewan Loudon had a penalty saved by Hamilton keeper Dean Lyness. Stuart Bannigan continued his impressive start to the campaign with a long-range volley finding the top corner, marking his third goal in two outings for Hamilton. Stephen Hendrie and McKinstry added further goals, with the latter finishing the scoring with a close-range tap-in.

Ross County began their campaign in the third tier with a narrow 1-0 win over Peterhead at Balmoor Stadium. Brian Graham, returning to the club for a third spell this summer, scored the decisive goal in the 66th minute after connecting with a cross from Adam Emslie. This marked Graham’s sixth goal in five appearances for Ross County.

Two other fixtures ended in draws. Alloa Athletic and East Fife played out a goalless draw at Recreation Park, while Cove Rangers and Airdrieonians were also held to a 0-0 stalemate at the Balmoral Stadium.