Rothes manager Ross Jack hopes they can honour the memory of Garry Davies by progressing in the North of Scotland Cup.
The Speysiders meet Forres Mechanics at Mosset Park this evening in the first round.
It has been a difficult period for Rothes following the death of Mr Davies, the club secretary, last week.
Jack said: “It’s been a very tough week or so for everyone at the club, it’s very sad to have lost Garry.
“But I know Garry would have wanted us to push on. We’ll do everything we can to be respectful while also trying to get through to the next round.
“Garry was an avid Rothes supporter and would have wanted us to get through to the next round.
“He was great with me during my time at the club and was very supportive.
“When it came to all the administrative work he did for the club he was outstanding so we owe it to Garry to do the best we can.
“If it wasn’t for Garry and a number of others Rothes wouldn’t still be existing.
“It’s been well-documented that Garry was part of the team that made sure the club survived, that was how much it meant to him.
“The players understand that and we all know how much it meant to him.
“We’ve got to move forward on the pitch and this is a massive game for us and we won’t be taking Forres lightly.
“The players have had a taste of success by winning the League Cup and we want to go as far as we can in this competition.”
Can-Cans looking for kickstart
Meanwhile, Forres Mechanics manager Charlie Rowley is hoping a positive result could kickstart their season.
The Can-Cans drew with Wick Academy on the opening day of the Breedon Highland League season before losing 4-1 to Formartine United on Saturday.
Rowley said: “We had a disappointing result on Saturday, but things can turnaround pretty quickly.
“Confidence can be an important factor as well so a win would certainly help with that and help us push on so hopefully we can get that win.
“But we realise that the task in front of us is far from easy against a very good Rothes side.
“Cups are something we want to progress in and it’s the same for all the clubs, they’re hugely important.”
Forres are missing Stuart Soane, Dale Wood, Ross MacPherson, Gordon MacNab, Joe Gauld and Craig Dorrat. Rothes have a full squad avaiable.
