Forward Joel MacBeath is determined for Elgin City to fire an early title warning shot to Kelty Hearts on Tuesday night.
Although it’s a Premier Sports Cup match at Borough Briggs, these two teams are expected to be in contention for the League Two crown next May.
There are particularly high expectations at Lowland League champions Kelty, who got past Brora Rangers and Brechin City in the play-offs to get into the SPFL.
Boss Barry Ferguson moved on to League One Alloa Athletic, but manager Kevin Thomson has come in and has them firing, most notably with a 3-0 win over League One visitors East Fife at the weekend.
MacBeath, who has just recovered from a dislocated shoulder, is keen for City to lay down a marker ahead of the league action starting on July 31.
He said: “We are at home, so we need to take the game to them. They’ll be confident after their good result, but we know what we can do. We can beat any team in the league.
“They will be tough opposition and they’re coming off the back of a 3-0 win, so they’ll have their heads held high, but we’ll be looking to get a result against them.”
Although there’s a big focus on Kelty, given their experience, such as ex-Inverness striker Nathan Austin, former Ross County starlet MacBeath insists there are other rivals for Elgin, who reached the play-offs last season, to keep their eyes on.
He added: “They look like a good team, but there are many good sides in League Two. Last season there was only two points between second and fifth. That shows how tight it can be, so it’s important to get off to a good start.”
Elgin began their cup campaign with a 1-0 home loss to Championship side Arbroath then crashed 6-1 at top-flight Dundee United last Wednesday.
MacBeath, who played around an hour of a 3-0 friendly win over Nairn County on Saturday, feels if they can repeat the way they played against Dick Campbell’s team, they can cause Kelty problems.
He added: “The boys played really well against Arbroath and deserved to come away with something from that one. It was just unfortunate that we conceded from a set-play.
“The Dundee United game wasn’t the best, but hopefully we can get back to standards we reached against Arbroath when we take on Kelty.”
The young forward made 11 appearances for his hometown club in his debut season last term, so more starts and telling contributions are the goals this season.
He explained: “I just want to contribute toward the team and play as much as I can. I’m 20 years old and, although I’m young, I still feel I can make an impact.”
