Buckie Thistle manager Graeme Stewart has urged his side to beware the injured animal when the Jags welcome Formartine United to Victoria Park in the Aberdeenshire Shield.
United’s hopes of reaching the Scottish Cup fourth round were ended by a clinical East Kilbride at North Lodge Park on Saturday as the managerless Lowland League outfit ran out 4-0 winners.
Stewart, whose side didn’t play on Saturday, knows Formartine counterpart Paul Lawson will be expecting a reaction from his side as the two clubs go head to head for a place in the semi-final tonight.
He said: “Formartine will want to bounce back from their disappointing result on Saturday. They are a good experienced side and I know their players well. They’ll be hurting.
“They’ve done really well in cup competitions in recent years and reached a lot of finals so we know we are facing a difficult game.
“But this is a chance to reach a semi-final and we’ll go into the game with confidence.”
New signing Kyle MacLeod is in line to make his debut following his move from Brora Rangers and Stewart believes his new recruit will make his team’s forward line the envy of the Highland League.
The Jags boss is eager to see his side’s attacking play rewarded by more goals and has backed MacLeod to deliver. He said: “Kyle is in the squad which is great. We’ve struggled to score this season despite playing well and creating a lot of chances, and Kyle will give us an added dimension.”
Formartine head for Victoria Park as holders of the Shield and goalkeeper Kevin Main is eager to put Saturday’s Scottish Cup exit behind him.
He said: “Saturday was the worst we’ve played for a while. I really don’t know what happened but we just didn’t get going. From the first minute to the last, East Kilbride were the better side and we were so disappointed.
“We know we are so much better than what we showed. It’s just as well we have a chance to put Saturday’s shocker behind us as dwelling on it does no one any favours.
“Buckie away is always a hard game and they are in the same boat as us in that they want to get to a final and secure their first trophy. But we won this competition last year and we want to retain it.”
