Cove Rangers manager John Sheran has urged his players to make the most of the opportunity to test themselves against full-time opposition tonight when they face Championship side Raith Rovers in the Betfred Cup.
The Aberdeen side gained entry to the newly-introduced group stage of the competition through winning last season’s Highland League and begin the new campaign against Raith at Station Park, Forfar.
Sheran’s players were drawn against Premiership side Motherwell in last year’s Scottish Cup, losing 5-0 at Fir Park in January, while competition holders Ross County are also part of Cove’s group for the revamped tournament.
Sheran hopes the experience of facing some of the strongest teams in the country will prove invaluable for his squad ahead of their defence of the Highland League title.
He said: “It’s a great game for our lads, being able to test themselves against a full-time Championship team.
“We’ve all played friendlies against full-time teams but competitive games are a bit different.
“That’s the pleasing thing about being in the competition, we would certainly rather be involved than not.
“We know it’s going to be hard but hopefully these games can improve our fitness and sharpness going into the new Highland League season.”
Cove captain Eric Watson has urged younger players in the side who have aspirations of playing at a higher level to take the chance to impress.
He said: “It will be good for some of our younger guys like Blair Yule, Harry Milne and Sam Burnett to see how far they’ve come and what they need to do to go a bit further.”
Cove will be without new additions Kevin Buchan and Murray McCulloch. Both are on holiday.
Meanwhile, Partick Thistle goalkeeper Ryan Scully is looking to put down his marker for the new campaign in the Betfred Cup away to Airdrie tonight.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a run of games towards the end of last season due to a foot injury to number one Tomas Cerny and is looking to make the next step, starting against the League 1 side.
Scully signed a two-year contract in May and admitted his desire to “establish myself as the number one keeper” with Cerny still catching up on his fitness.
“I got a taste of the action towards the end of the season,” Scully said. “It was a great experience for me to play at the highest level in Scotland and it gives me the extra bit of confidence knowing I can play at that level.”