Craig Campbell thinks Brora Rangers are in a good place to get their revenge on Fraserburgh ahead of Saturday’s GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup semi-final.
The Cattachs travel to the Broch for the last-four clash – their first meeting since August, when Brora lost 6-2 in the league at Bellslea.
Former boss Steven Mackay dropped a resignation bombshell after the defeat and during what was a slow start by Brora’s standards, with assistant Campbell stepping up to replace him.
Brora come into the semi-final on a four-game winning run, and thrashed Forres Mechanics 8-0 at Mosset Park in midweek.
But they have had to wait to bury their Broch demons – after a December league meeting at Dudgeon Park was postponed.
Campbell said: “We know it’s a massive game. We still feel we’ve got something to prove against Fraserburgh after the first game of the season, so hopefully we can put in a better performance than we did that day.
“The boys have been pretty good the last couple of games, so hopefully we can take that form into the game.
“We’ve got more options now, so feel we’re maybe better equipped this time round.
“First and foremost, it’s going to be a battle, they’re a really hard-working side, they fight for everything and they’ve got a lot of dangerous players as well.
“We need to go down there and all 11 players have to be at the top of their game, so we’ve been drumming that into the players.”
Brora go into the game having not reached the Highland League Cup final since season 2015/16 – the only time the Cattachs have lifted the trophy in its 80-year history.
They are still feeling the sting of missing out on the North Cup to Rothes in October.
With third-placed Brora also only three points behind leaders Fraserburgh in the league – although they’ve played a game more than the Broch – Campbell feels there may be a psychological edge to be earned from the cup semi for the final part of the season.
Campbell added: “I was made aware when I took over the job that the club looks for success and they want to be winning trophies.
“If we get the positive result we’re looking for, it keeps the momentum going, but a loss can send you on a wobble.”
Full-back John Pickles is available again for Brora, while former Inverness centre-half Josh Meekings – who is also a coach with the Cattachs – is nearing a return to playing action following a spell on the sidelines.
Cowie: Chance to reach final will be in forefront of both teams’ minds
Fraserburgh boss Mark Cowie, meanwhile, doesn’t believe August’s statement league win will have any bearing on the League Cup last-four tie – with the occasion itself enough to supercharge both sides.
He said: “It’s a cup semi-final, so everything else goes out the window.
“They’ll maybe want a wee bit of revenge, but it’s a chance to reach a final and that goal should be in the forefront of both teams’ minds.
“Every time I’ve played Brora since I’ve moved into management it’s been a task and I’ve been on the end of scorelines similar to what Brora were at the start of the season.
“I think I said, as soon as the final whistle went, I wasn’t discounting Brora from anything and they’d still be in the mix right at the end (of the league campaign) and so it’s proven to be.
“It was three points at the end of day, it’s not in my mind and I don’t think it’ll have much impact on the game.
“You’ve got two good sides and both in a wee bit of form on the back of Wednesday night’s results – it should be a cracker.”
On whether a win would carry with it any mental impact on the teams for the league race, Cowie – who is trying to steer his side through a hectic final section of the campaign – thinks there are two ways of looking at it.
He added: “If you win, you’ve got a final to look forward to. But, if you lose, it’s one game less to concentrate on.”
Whatever way Saturday goes, Cowie believes the Broch and Brora, as well as fellow title hopefuls Buckie and Brechin, have all shown they can cope with setbacks this term
For this weekend, the Fraserburgh gaffer – who will be missing suspended striker Paul Campbell and cup-tied full-back Ross Aitken – is only focused on keeping the Broch’s bid for a first Highland League Cup since 2006 alive.
He said: “The best team on the day will win it and I think it’ll be as close as it can be for a cup semi-final.
“Every competition we enter, we want to do well in. We’ve got an opportunity to get to a final and we want to take it.
“But it doesn’t get any easier when you play the likes of Brora and those kind of teams.
“It’s never an easy game at this stage of a cup competition and if you want to win them you have to beat the best teams.
“We haven’t got the greatest of records in this cup – I actually played the last time we won it, so it’s something we want to put right.
“But nobody’s going to give you anything, you have to earn it. We’ve got to turn up.”
Donation for every goal scored initiative continues
Any goal scored in this weekend’s Highland League Cup semi-finals will once again boost cancer support charity Maggie’s.
Competition sponsors GPH Builders Merchants have pledged to donate £40 every time the ball hits the net in the competition. With 35 goals scored in the Highland League Cup so far this season, £1,400 has already been raised.
GPH Builders Merchants managing director Grant Shewan said: “We’re proud to be sponsoring the cup in our 40th year, and are looking forward to the entertaining football continuing on Saturday.
“This is the first year of our two-year agreement with the Scottish Highland Football League, and we are proud to be able to give something back to the community.”
There will also be bucket collections in aid of Maggie’s at both Bellslea and Mosset Park on Saturday.
