Inverurie Locos manager Richard Hastings doesn’t want his side to waste their chance of success in the Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield.
The Railwaymen tackle Dyce Juniors at Harlaw Park in the competition’s first quarter-final.
After defeating holders Fraserburgh in the first round, boss Hastings wants Inverurie to set up a semi-final away to Deveronvale or Huntly.
He said: “We did a hard thing by beating Fraserburgh in the last round.
“We want to take advantage of that and, if we were to not take advantage of that, it would feel like a waste.
“This is a great opportunity and the boys know that and I can see and hear what it means to them.
“If we can get through this tie, you’re only two games away from winning something and that’s a big thing for any club.
“We want to be at our best to get the result to get into the semi-finals.”
Consistency key for Garioch team
Hastings is still searching for greater consistency from his side.
Locos’ last four games have seen them defeat Brechin City and Fraserburgh, but lose to Buckie Thistle and draw with Forres Mechanics.
But Hastings is confident they will become more consistent.
He added: “The key to everything is consistency really. But I can’t be too critical and I can’t expect to just flick a switch and for it to happen, it takes time.
“On the whole if I look at my time so far there’s more positives than negatives.
“There have been more high moments and great displays than there have been low moments.
“But there has been inconsistency there because we’re still working towards where we want to be.”
Dyce out to make the most of ‘free hit’
Dyce boss Alfie Youngson believes the tie is a free hit for his side against opposition from a higher level.
But the Junior outfit do have a number of ex-Highland League players in their squad and Youngson hopes they have something to prove against Inverurie.
He said: “I hope they have something to prove and want to prove they could still play at that level.
“The likes of Jordan Leyden, Nick Gray, Sam Robertson and others.
“Those guys have played Highland League most of their days and will want to show they’re still capable.
“We hope they turn up and show they are still capable, which gives us a better chance.
“It’s a free hit for us really. Inverurie beat Fraserburgh 3-0 in the first round, which is a great result the way Fraserburgh are going.
“It’s probably between Inverurie and Buckie in terms of being favourites to win the competition.
“I don’t think anybody is expecting us to win the game, so it’s a free hit for us.
“Getting into the semi-final would be a big deal for us.
“This a one-off game and a chance for us. If we played a league over 34 games, the chances are Locos would finish quite a few places above us.
“But in a one-off cup tie you never know what might happen.”
