Peterhead manager Jim McInally knows the element of surprise has gone for the Blue Toon but he still believes his side can match Morton in their Scottish Cup replay tonight.
The Blue Toon earned a second shot at their Championship opponents when they drew 1-1 with the Ton at Cappielow on Saturday and while he concedes it will be a tall order trying to repeat the feat McInally insists it is not mission impossible for his players.
He said: “Our chance might have gone because of the quick turnaround but hopefully we will play well and give them another game.
“Our second half performance on Saturday was better than the first as we had control of the game and if we play at that level again they will know they are in a game whatever the outcome.
“The last thing I wanted on Saturday was for it to be a typical Championship v League 2 game where we lose 3-0 and get no credit for our performance at all and we’re in the same situation.
“We know them now and we were able to give as good as we got on Saturday.
“We can match them physically but it is producing a level of performance which will decide whether we go through.”
McInally believes the difference between full-time and part-time players will be clear when the two teams meet again tonight and will make changes to his line-up to accommodate the extra demands which have been put on his side.
He said: “Our players were back at their work on Monday while Morton are training and preparing for the game, and we’ll have to make changes as well.
“We’ve got good depth in the squad this season but Derek Lyle told me after the game on Saturday there was no way his body would handle another game in midweek and a league game against Annan on Saturday so he won’t play.
“Paddy Boyle is another one. He’s been out for so long that asking him to play three games in a week would probably kill him at this point so I won’t risk him either and we’ll need to check on Mick Dunlop.”
The Blue Toon boss says he is the reason why the two teams are playing again in a matter of days from their first meeting but hopes his calculated cup risk pays off in the coming weeks in League 2.
He said: “I have to take the blame a bit for playing the replay so quickly as I didn’t want to risk a replay next week when we’ve got a big game against Edinburgh City coming up the following week.
“We were disappointed as we wanted to play Edinburgh during the international break but they wouldn’t agree and it actually feels as if karma has played a part as they now have a replay at Caley Thistle next week.”
