Robbie Leitch believes Cove Rangers are ready to seize their chance in the Championship.
The Balmoral Stadium will host Championship football for the first time this afternoon with Raith Rovers the visitors for the season-opener.
It is a landmark occasion for the Aberdeen side, who won promotion from the Highland League in 2019.
Leitch believes competing in the second tier of Scottish football will be tough – but not beyond his side.
He said: “Going into the Championship is massive for the club.
“The boys are buzzing for the game and the season as a whole.
“It will be difficult, but we have good players and I think we will do well.
“We want to make a good start and then try to stay as high up the table as possible.
“We know it will be tough, but there were also lots of good teams in League One last season.
“We have played against some of the Championship teams in the cups so we know a bit of what to expect.
“We are going up against full-time teams, but we have done a lot of good fitness work in pre-season and we’re looking forward to the league season getting under way.”
Leitch has made an impressive start to the campaign, scoring in two of Cove’s four Premier Sports Cup group stage games.
The former Falkirk player said: “It has been good for me and getting the goals has been great for my confidence going into the start of the league season.
“It is a fresh start for everyone with the new manager coming in.
“Everybody is trying to impress as much as they can.”
The League One flag will be unfurled before kick-off to mark last season’s title triumph, and new boss Jim McIntyre hopes his side can grace the occasion with a winning start to the campaign.
He said: “It is a big day for the club.
“The players and the previous management have done so well in recent seasons and getting to test yourself at Championship level is the reward.
“It is an exciting time for everybody connected with the club.
“Our sole aim for the season is to maintain Championship status – once that is achieved then you can look beyond that.
“We are the new boys and it is important to get through the first round of fixtures and assess yourself after that.”
McIntyre anticipates a stern test from a Raith Rovers side that will be looking for a better outcome than last weekend’s trip to the Granite City when they suffered a 3-0 defeat by Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
McIntyre added: “They are a very good side who just missed out on the play-offs last year.
“They have a lot of pace in their side and good energy levels.
“They have players who know the Championship inside out so we are in for a tough game, but we are at home in our first game at this level and we want to make a good impression.”
