Brechin City boss Andy Kirk believes his side’s league form has them full of confidence ahead of their Scottish Cup third round tie against Darvel at Glebe Park.
Brechin host the West of Scotland Football League side at the Glebe on Monday night in their bid to reach the fourth round of the Scottish Cup for the first time since 2017.
The tie comes at an optimal time for City who have continued to build momentum in the Highland League, with good performances matched by good results, leaving them in third and only three points behind leaders Fraserburgh.
Kirk believes his side are in a good place ahead of the third round tie with Darvel, but still expects a challenge if they are to progress further in the competition.
He said: “We prepare every week to go out and win the game as every other team does, so it’s important to keep winning games of football especially when you’re on top.
“The run of late has been very positive because for us ultimately, it’s been a whole new experience this season.
“It’s a new team, new players, new way of playing and a new league so everything has been a learning experience for us to this point.
“The boys are really starting to get to grips with how we want to do things. We’re in a good place come Monday, and that comes from good performances and results.
“We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been winning games and scoring a lot of goals. It’s a positive vibe to be in, but we know how football can be really cruel and if you take your foot off the gas it has a way of punishing you.
“It’s important to remember the effort that the players have put in to get the rewards that we’ve got so far and got us to the third round of the Scottish Cup but also make sure that we don’t take our foot of the pedal.”
Darvel’s dream crushers
Despite his confidence, Kirk knows not to underestimate Brechin’s third round opposition.
Darvel travel to the Glebe in the midst of a dream cup run, after beating City’s fellow Highland League side Keith and Scottish League Two’s Stranraer in previous rounds.
Kirk knows that the occasion will be an opportunity for both sides to prove themselves in front of the BBC cameras, with the East Ayrshire outfit hoping to continue their cup run, while Brechin look to maintain the optimism that has returned to Glebe Park this season.
He said: “Darvel will be a very good side; you only have to look through their squad to see that. They have some really good players in there with a lot of league experience so it’ll be a tough challenge.
“Darvel like to play football as well so it’s encouraging for us. It’s a challenge that we will embrace and we’ll prepare the best possible way we can.
“We’ll go into the game with loads of confidence and hopefully have a bit of luck that you need on your side in the cup to get the result that we’re looking for.
HIGHLIGHTS | @StranraerFC 0-1 @darvelfc #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/hbTCFzwDsG
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) October 24, 2021
“It’s two-fold because Darvel are having a good run in the cup, but it’s a great run for us as well. We all know the fall that Brechin have had and the league that we find ourselves in, but it’s been a chance to hit the reset button and make big changes behind the scenes.
“As a new team, this is an experience that we’re having together and the opportunity to play in the third round of the Scottish cup live on TV, is a great experience for our team.
“Everyone wants to progress and we want to go as far as we can in the tournament, we will have the same aspiration as Darvel to go and do that.”
A game of football for everyone
To encourage more people to attend the cup fixture, Brechin have changed their admission prices with season ticket holders and under-18s receiving free entry.
Season ticket holders have been given vouchers to hand out to family and friends which will get them reduced admission, with season ticket holders from other football clubs getting in at a reduced price of £5.
🏆 𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡
The countdown is on to our 3rd round Scottish Cup tie against @darvelfc, which will be screened live by @BBCScotland at Glebe Park next Monday (29th November).
Match info ➡️ https://t.co/MgpFJksKIT pic.twitter.com/JLjGdgGnXO
— Brechin City FC (@BrechinCityFC) November 25, 2021
Kirk believes that City’s commitment to increasing attendances is evidence of the club’s ambition to become a part of the wider community.
He said: “Their support is invaluable, that’s when the players want to go out and perform when you’ve got a good crowd there.
“It’ll be really great if we can get supporters from other clubs to come and enjoy a game of football and create that bit more of an atmosphere for both teams which will set it up to be a really good cup tie.
“We wanted to create a club that its community is proud of and my job is to get the results on the pitch, get the team performing well so supporters can look forward to games and keep enjoying it.
“Hopefully those good results and performances continue against Darvel in the cup.”