Barry Smith believes his Elgin City side are well-equipped to handle the heat as hosts Jeanfield Swifts aim for a second round shock in the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
Daryn Smith’s Swifts are currently third in the East of Scotland Premier League and on a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
It is set to be an historic fixture as no SPFL team has ever played a competitive fixture at Swifts’ Riverside Stadium – however is subject to a Saturday 9am pitch inspection.
⚠️ Second Round Pitch Inspection:
A pitch inspection will take place at @JeanfieldSFC on Saturday morning at 9am, ahead of their game against @ElginCityFC #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/jEfBSnzBfR
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) October 27, 2023
There in huge excitement around the Perth club as they aim to be headline-grabbers by knocking out the League Two’s bottom side for a place in round three.
Jeanfield have five ex-City players – Aaron Whitehead, Chris Dodd, Chris McLeish, Keiran Stewart and Scott Smith – on board, which adds more spice to the tie.
Elgin go into Saturday’s away clash still bottom of League Two on goal difference following their 1-1 home draw against Stenhousemuir in midweek.
Smith wants quality to shine through
Smith says the strong mindset of his players – combined with showing why they’re at a higher level – will be needed to reach round three of the cup.
He said: “I have watched Jeanfield and they are well organised, they play some good football and they have threats going forward.
“These cup-ties are about how you treat them. We will treat them with respect, but we have got to show the correct attitude, which the players have done, and also show we deserve to win the game by showing our qualities.
“Everyone knows the potential for an upset in the Scottish Cup – it doesn’t matter what level you have been playing at.
“We are under no illusions that this will be a tough game.
“The most important thing is getting into the hat for the next round. We won’t look any further than this game.”
Jones joins City to add experience
Smith gave new signing, striker Robert Jones, his debut from the bench against the Warriors.
— Elgin City F.C. (@ElginCityFC) October 24, 2023
The 28-year-old, whose clubs include Clyde, Stranraer and Dumbarton, was most recently with Finn Harps in Ireland.
Smith felt the need to add some experience to his attack and was delighted to bring Jones on board.
He said: “I have known Robert for a number of years. When you look at the strikers we’ve got, they are all relatively young – 20 and under.
“We needed a bit of experience. Robert will bring that. He’s played Leagues One and Two and he knows what’s expected of him.
“He’s just coming back from injury, but he’s fully fit and there are no problems. He just needs games. We need to get him up to speed, so to get around 25 minutes on Tuesday was a bonus.”
Leader Cooper’s welcome return
Another plus point this week has been the return from injury for captain Matthew Cooper, who played on Wednesday, until being replaced by Jones in the second half.
Smith added: “We need guys that are leaders. It was a bit unfortunate for Nathan Cooney (that he was replaced in the team by Cooper), but when your captain is back fit, you always select him.
“He’s back in the team as a leader. He’s not played in the team for a while, so it was good to give him 60-65 minutes.”
Jeanfield will be up for it and we must handle pressure – MacEwan
Midweek scorer Rory MacEwan, meanwhile, knows only too well how being on the end of a Scottish Cup shock feels.
He scored in a 1-1 draw against West of Scotland Premier League Clydebank in 2021, but the tie went to a replay in Moray, with the Bankies emerging a surprise 2-1 victors.
MacEwan said: “We know these Scottish Cup games are quite hard, as everyone wants a cup run.
“They will be right up for it. We saw when we played Clydebank two seasons ago how tough these fixtures can be.
“I think Jeanfield will be no different. They are quite high up in their league and probably one of the teams aiming to get into the Lowland League in the next couple of years.”
And the 25-year-old playmaker believes it will require a strong away display to avoid a slip-up in Perth.Sponsors signage all in place for Saturdays @ScottishCup tie versus @ElginCityFC pic.twitter.com/VsGidAzZLW
— Jeanfield Swifts FC (@JeanfieldSFC) October 25, 2023
He added: “It is just dealing with the pressure really.
“They will be looking to get a Scottish Cup scalp, and we just need to perform how we can. That way we will not be one of the scalps on the day.”
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