Aberdeen Grammar coach Ali O’Connor expects his players will have to get down and dirty at Selkirk tomorrow if they want to make it three league wins out of the last four matches.
The Grammar coach expects a bruising and physically demanding game at Philiphaugh but insists his players are ready for it.
He said: “We’re going with a strong squad with the free weekend giving players the chance to heal and we have a few coming back.
“Number eight Chris Jollands returns along with hooker Conall Howard while winger Grant Walker is back after almost a month in Texas with his work.
“It’s nice to have some experience back and Grant is an aggressive player. In fact he can be quite nasty when he needs to be and we need that sort of approach as we know this is going to be a huge encounter.
“That’s what we’ve been preparing for as this is not a game where we can try to play around the opposition.”
Grammar lost 51-12 to Premiership side Ayr in their last outing, a Scottish Cup tie at Rubislaw on January 28, but O’Connor insisted his players can take confidence from the game as they head to Selkirk.
Grammar lost 36-32 at Rubislaw when the sides met on October 8. O’Connor believes his players let their opponents off the hook in Aberdeen and is confident his side can get a result tomorrow.
He said: “It’s a long journey, but one we’ve been looking forward to since we came off the pitch after the cup defeat to Ayr.
“Despite the score there were positives. We defended well in phases and are looking to build on that at Selkirk.”