Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
The Cairn ready for Scottish Cup clash
Gartcairn gaffer Jamie McKenzie says his side will play without pressure when they take on East Superleague side Lochee United in the Scottish Cup this weekend.
Cairn go into the game top of the West Region League One table and still unbeaten after winning 3-1 against Royal Albert on Saturday.
The Airdrie side have now won 10 times and drawn twice in the league this season, scoring an astonishing 50 goals in the process.
They are the highest scorers in Scottish junior football this season.
Gartcairn knocked Premiership side Kilbirnie Ladeside out of the cup in the last round with a 3-2 victory away from home.
They were drawn at home to Lochee after the match, but will have to play away from MTC this weekend too.
McKenzie said:“The SJFA has decided the pitch isn’t fit for the tie.
“We’ve had to move it and Petershill is a good alternative.
“It’s not ideal for us as it’s a more neutral ground but we’ll need to adjust to it and train hard to prepare.”
He continued:“It’s always nice to do well in the cups.
“From our point of view, the league is our bread and butter and we’re doing well in that.
“So naturally there may be a bit of expectation on us, but this gives us a break from the league and the boys can go and play with no pressure.
“It comes from the standard they’ve created with their performances and they’ll believe they can win this game.
“Lochee are semi-finalists from last year and are also unbeaten in their league.
“I know their manager and a few of the players, plus we’ve had them watched, so we’re aware of what they’re like.”
Although adamant the league is Gartcairn’s focus, McKenzie says his team won’t abandon a potential cup run.
He explained:“Some people and mangers look at the cup and see teams like Hurlford and Pollok in the draw so immediately think‘we’re not winning this, so we might as well get knocked out to focus on what matters’.
“I’ve got a squad that can beat anybody on their day and we’ll prepare as best as we can to exploit the weaknesses in the way we play.
“If we do that and get the result then we’ll have put two premier teams out, so what’s to stop us going all the way?”