Lochaber manager Ally Ferguson says the heat is off his men as they prepare to tackle early Premiership pace-setters Newtonmore in the Cottages.com MacTavish Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
A place in the semi-finals is the prize eight clubs will be chasing this weekend and Lochaber, who are third in the second-tier National Division, are keen to show their capabilities in this mouth-watering tie.
The highly-rated Badenoch visitors are long overdue a run in the cups, and neutrals will keep an eye on this clash for a potential shock from Lochaber.
Ferguson says the pressure falls on to their top-table visitors as Lochaber set out to cause an upset on Saturday at 2.30pm.
He said: “There is obviously a bit of a gulf between the teams in terms of our leagues, but we’re looking forward to the tie.
“We’re at home and we’re hoping to show we can compete. We will go into it with good optimism.
“Newtonmore are top of the Premiership and I would expect them to adjust to most circumstances, but we’re at home and there is no travelling for us.
“Badenoch is quite a formidable place to go in front of their home crowd, so we’d like to think we can give a really good account of ourselves given we’re at home. We will prepare as best we can.
“Newtonmore will be the out-and-out favourites, so there’s not so much pressure on us. It’s 12 v 12 and, while we respect Newtonmore for their position and (know) that they’re a very good side, we won’t fear them.”
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Strong start to season for Lochaber in National ranks
The reason for that degree of optimism from Lochaber comes from three wins from their opening four league games.
They have scored victories over Inveraray, Col Glen and Oban Celtic before being edged out 4-3 Glen Uruqhart last week in a match where Ben Delaney bagged a treble.
Ferguson added: “We wanted to reduce our goals against this season and score more.
“Inveraray beat us home and away last year and we’ve beaten them down there this season, which is a step in the right direction.
“We have got good coaches and the players are all responding well.”
A knee injury keeps Stuart Callison out of this weekend’s game, while Barry MacDonald is still in Australia, but otherwise Lochaber should be unchanged from last week.
Never an easy game at Spean Bridge – Newtonmore boss
Newtonmore manager Norman MacArthur has a full-strength pool of players available, but he insists no one will be taking this chance of reaching the last four lightly.
He said: “We expect a tough tie against Lochaber. Ally is doing a great job and he’s got them up and running.
“He’s got players back playing and he’s been getting results, albeit they lost (4-3 against Glen Urquhart) last week.
“They have certainly turned the corner and I have never had an easy game at Spean Bridge in my life and I’m not expecting it this Saturday either.”
And MacArthur explained a professional approach will be the name of the game as ever as Newtonmore seek to advance to the latter stages after falling out of cups too soon, too often.
He said: “We haven’t been able to get past the first round of a cup competition for the last two years or so.
“We’re now in the next round of the MacTavish Cup – but we won’t be taking this game lightly.
“We will prepare for this game as we always do. We approach every game exactly the same.
“We turn up at the same time before a game, we get ourselves ready and that will be the same at Lochaber.”
Three wins and two draws in the Premiership so far is a strong start for ‘More and the boss is satisfied with the club’s progress at the start of the campaign.
He added: “Considering where we are and where we’ve been the last few years as we’ve been rebuilding – and we’ve still a bit to go yet – I’d like to think the more we go on without a defeat, the more the confidence will build up.
“We have big games to come, but we will take them as they come.”
Holders all set for test against Lovat
Meanwhile, holders Kingussie face fellow Premiership rivals Lovat at Balgate at 2.30pm on Saturday.
Kings’ MacTavish Cup defence starts with the tie, while Lovat earned this fixture thanks to a 3-2 home victory against Kilmallie in round one.
The teams met in the league on March 11 at The Dell when Roddy Young and James Falconer goals earned Kingussie a 2-0 victory.
Kings ended Lovat’s interest in this knockout competition last year as they ran out 4-2 victors in the semi-finals before going on to beat Caberfeidh 5-2 in the final.
Your https://t.co/bBYn0AuYYf MacTavish Cup Quarter-Final Draw 🏑 pic.twitter.com/urMVEef6Uw
— Shinty (@camanachd) March 27, 2023
There’s also a fifth v eighth all-Premiership tie at Braeview Park as Beauly entertain Skye at 3pm on Saturday.
The top-table rivals will be aiming for cup progression before locking horns next weekend in Portree on league business – where a win would take the hosts Skye above Beauly on goal difference.
The other quarter-final takes place in the Highland capital, with Inverness – who sit seventh in North Division 1 after their first five fixtures – at home to Glen Urquhart, who are fourth in the National Division, in a 2.30pm start.
League derby in focus in Fort William
There is just one game in the National Division this weekend and it is a derby cracker as Fort William take on early front-runners Kilmallie at An Aird at 1pm.
The Caol side have won their opening four fixtures, while Fort have only three points from their first three matches.
Fixture Update – Fort William v Kilmallie – Saturday 15th April – Throw Up changed to 13.00 – Mowi National Division #shinty
— Shinty (@camanachd) April 11, 2023
These teams dropped down from the Premiership last year and have their eyes on an instant return, so there is early pressure on Fort William to get a positive result.
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