The young Gers host Bo’ness United in the first round at Cappielow Park having made it to the last 16 stage last season, beating the likes of Spartans, Alloa Athletic and Stenhousemuir in the process.
Speaking to RangersTV to preview the beginning of the competitive fixtures for David McCallum’s side, the defender is looking forward to the challenge their Tuesday evening fixture will bring.
He commented: “I think a few of the boys in the team including myself have played against Bo'ness before, so we kind of already know what they'll be about.
“They have got a mix between young players and experience, so it'll be a tough game but it is about winning and that is what the cup is about so hopefully we can go as far as we can.
“They were a good team; they had a good few experienced players that made it difficult for us.
“As long as we focus on what we can do then that is all we can cope with and do well hopefully.
“It is a good tournament, obviously last year we got the chance playing against Spartans and Alloa and done well against both they teams and then played Airdrie.
“Although we didn't go through after that but I thought the boys done well that night and I thought it was a good tournament.
“The Alloa game, it was a good tough test. I was up against Conor Sammon who is an experienced professional so it is a good tournament and you get to challenge yourself against those types of players.”
The youngster has spoken of testing himself against seasoned pros in the matches last season and spoke of the difference of facing first teams in comparison to fellow academy sides.
He continued: “I think that is one of the main reasons why everyone enjoys the tournament.
“The first thing when the draw gets made you are always looking at who they have and what they players they have.
“What kind of players do they have and what careers did they have so it is good.
“First and foremost you are more aware of them.
“I think that is the big thing, you need to almost know more about them than they know about you. That first 10 minutes you are thinking right let's see what he's got and stuff like that.
“I think firstly when you play against an academy side it is more technical and more that side of the game.
“When you come up against first teams they are all quite physical, so you need to deal with that first and then deal with the technical.
“When you are playing against boys that are the same age as you it is also good because you kind of see where you are and what level you're at with boys the same age as you but then when you play against first teams it could be like a 10-year gap between you and the striker.
Allen is hopeful of a good turnout from the Light Blues faithful when they step out onto the pitch tomorrow evening, as he feels it helped push him further in the outings in the competition last campaign.
He added: “It was good, we had loads of fans last year when we played Alloa.
“It gave the boys a boost and definitely gave me a boost as well.
“It is good to play in front of fans, the first team are playing in front of 50,000 odd so it is a massive bonus and hopefully they enjoy it.”
You can still secure your seat for the clash in Greenock through the Fanbase app here, kicking off at 7.45pm with tickets priced at just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions and Under-16s.