Peasy ready to take on Gowfers after under-par showing
PETERSHILL go into tomorrow’s Scottish Junior Cup thirdround clash with Carnoustie Panmure as unbeaten and clear leaders of the Super First Division yet manager Willie Patterson regards his side’s trip up to Tayside as a chance to prove they can cut it at the highest level of Junior football.
The fact Glasgow’s most successful club in the game’s No 1 competition (with five trophy wins to their name) needed a replay to overcome Port Glasgow in the last round disappointed the ambitious Patterson and he is desperate for his playing charges to serve up a better showing against the Gowfers.
Home advantage was a telling factor as the Peasy emerged narrow 1-0 winners when the sides met at the same third-round stage last season however the Springburn club’s travelling band of supporters will feel more upbeat from knowing Carnoustie are not setting the heather on fire on their own Laing Park patch and have lost three games in a row inclusive of last weekend’s 4-0 East Premier League defeat by Dundonald Bluebell.
Patterson admitted: “Paul Kelly made the journey up to cast an eye over them recently and his report back states Carnoustie are a far better team than recent results are indicating.
“They are sitting near the bottom of their league table but Alan McSkimming’s squad is along similar lines to last season when they played very impressively and were close to knocking us out at New Petershill Park, so we are preparing for a tough 90 minutes.
“The guys trained last night and the word on our injured pair Dave Mackay and Fraser McGhie is they are definite non-starters while it’s also looking like Scott McManus and Connor Stevenson will be again posted missing through family commitments.
“On the bright side both Chris Hall and Jason Hardie are still getting back to full fitness however we have to consider whether they are fully ready for a game of this magnitude, so best for any decision to be delayed until closer to kick off time.”
Vastly experienced gaffer Patterson has not enjoyed the best of Scottish Junior Cup fortunes and has a last-16 place as his best return for some 26 years as a player and manager .
He revealed: “That fifth-round appearance was a couple of years ago when we were unlucky to lose 3-1 away to the eventual winners Beith and its long been a dream of mine to go further in the competition.
“Whether this could be the year remains to be seen but promotion to the top league and having Petershill back where they belong competing against the top sides in the game remains our number one aim.”
ARGUABLY an even tougher cup prospect awaits James Skinner and his Vale of Clyde troops in taking to the road to face Haddington Athletic who are admittedly in the East Region’s second tier however the Hi Hi’s are third and considered a title contender so a testing examination awaits the young Tin Pail side.
Not quite so far travelled are Benburb in heading through to lock horns with those once formidable cup opponents Whitburn whose fall from grace is typified by chalking up just two wins from 13 league starts so bookmakers odds favour the Bens to come good at Central Park.
Meanwhile, hoping to take a second successive Glasgow club scalp are Bellshill Athletic , last round conquerors of higher league St Rochs and now awaiting the visit of Central Second Division rivals Ashfield.
The Lanarkshire outfit edged a 2-1 victory when the sides met in mid-October however team boss Robert Sneddon believes nothing should be read into that result.
He said: “Ashfield hold the upper hand over us in terms of experience with guys like Paul Maxwell in their ranks but we have a great group of young players.”