Cove Rangers manager Jim McIntyre admits he will need to shuffle his pack for this weekend’s SPFL Trust Trophy tie against holders Raith Rovers.
The Aberdeen side fought back from 2-0 down to salvage a draw against Partick Thistle last weekend.
But McIntyre has several players missing for this afternoon’s third round tie and doubts over others.
The Cove boss said: “We have got a couple of injuries just now and we are not sure whether they will be available on Saturday.
“There will be a few changes but the bottom line is that the league is our priority.
“Kyle McClelland and Charlie Gilmour have already played in the competition for their respective parent clubs so are cup-tied.
“Evan Towler is on international duty with Scotland under-19s.
“Fraser Fyvie definitely won’t make the game due to a hamstring problem and Scott Ross is a major doubt with a knee injury.
“There are one or two others carrying knocks so there will be changes.”
One player who is likely to feature is Blair Yule. The midfielder made his first appearance of the season in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Firhill.
McIntyre said: “It gives us another option and he is a very good player.
“It is the first longer term injury he has had to deal with so it has been a frustrating time for him.
“But he managed to get some minutes at Thistle and we will look to do the same again on Saturday.
“Hopefully he can get a free run now and build up some game time to get back to his best.”
A late double from Mark Reynolds – the first brace of his professional career – helped Cove snatch a point at Partick.
McIntyre was delighted with the determination showed by his side against a Jags team who have impressed during the early part of the Championship season.
He said: “Firhill is a tough place to go and Thistle were very good, especially in the first half.
“We were hanging on for a bit but we managed to finish the game really strongly, which is a good sign.”
Cove defeated Raith Rovers 2-0 at Balmoral Stadium on the opening day of the Championship season.
The Kirkcaldy side are above Cove in the table, having defeated Ayr United 3-2 last weekend to move up to sixth position.
McIntyre expects a stern test against Ian Murray’s side, who are set to be without striker Jamie Gullan and midfielder Sam Stanton.
Raith defeated Queen of the South in the final of the competition last season, although Murray has admitted he will use Saturday’s match “to give guys a rest and get other guys some game-time.”
McIntyre said: “They are a good side.
“The game on the first day of the season could have gone either way.
“We just showed a bit more ruthlessness in front of goal but they had their opportunities too.
“I expect another really tough game.
“We play them again in a couple of weeks’ time in the league so we are going to be very familiar with each other.”
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