Mark Cowie believes Arbroath are the benchmark for part-time clubs in Scotland – but hopes Fraserburgh can rise to the occasion when the Red Lichties visit Bellslea tomorrow.
Dick Campbell’s side finished second in the Championship last season having threatened to win the title.
Broch boss Cowie is full of admiration for the Angus side, but hopes his Breedon Highland League champions can spring a surprise in the third round of the Scottish Cup.
He said: “I think Arbroath are the benchmark, they’re part-time and last season they were 10 minutes away from being a Premiership club.
“The fact they got to that point and did so well says a lot. They’ve got some very talented players and a very experienced, knowledgeable manager.
“I’m looking for us to give a good account of ourselves and you never know what can happen.
“We’re representing the club, the town and the Highland League so we need to make sure we put in a performance first and foremost.
⚽️Fraserburgh v Arbroath
🗓Saturday 26th November
🌍Bellslea Park
⏱Kick Off 3.00pm
🎟️ ALL TICKET GAME
🚪 ALL GATES OPEN 2PM
➡️ GATE 1 AWAY SUPPORT
➡️ GATE 2 HOME SUPPORT
➡️ GATE 4 HOSPITALITY@ArbroathFC @pieandbov @ShireNPolice @ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/qL27lbbxbx
— Fraserburgh FC (@FraserburghFC) November 22, 2022
“We’ll need a bit of luck, the underdogs always need a bit of luck and we expect Arbroath to have a lot of the ball.
“We’ll need to be disciplined, but we showed against Buckie last Saturday we can be.
“On the ball we need to brave, we might not get too many opportunities so when we get the ball we need to try to cause problems.
“If we get chances we’ll need to be ruthless and clinical.”
Cowie v Campbell
Prior to the sides being drawn together in the Scottish Cup Arbroath boss Campbell was guest speaker at the Broch’s business lunch last month.
Cowie is looking forward to locking horns with his vastly experienced managerial counterpart.
He added: “I had the pleasure of speaking to Dick at our business lunch and he was telling me about his manager of the year and hall of fame awards.
“The gulf in experience between myself and Dick is there for all to see, but I’m looking forward to it.
“What I admired most about him when meeting him was that I felt like I was speaking to an equal.
“He didn’t come across that he was looking down on me, he had respect for what I’d done and asked questions about Fraserburgh and about me.
“He seemed genuinely interested and his man-management in that sense was excellent and his footballing accolades speak for themselves.”
Familiar foe
One Arbroath threat Fraserburgh are well aware of is Kieran Shanks. The 20-year-old striker joined the second tier outfit from fellow Highland League club Inverurie Locos in the summer.
Cowie said: “We know Kieran’s very talented, he’s shown Highland League players can move up the leagues if they put in the work.
“His goals speak for themselves, but I think the reason he got his move is because of his work-rate, it was second to none when he played against us.
“If you work hard you’ll go places and Kieran’s done really well.
“They’ve got many threats and Kieran is one of them, we know his strengths, but we can’t focus on one player because there are 11 starters and five subs who play above Highland League level that we have to try to match on the day.”
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