Milky hopes to deliver in the Cup
Ex-Bot frontman desperate to make his mark for Beith
ATTEMPTING to win a place in the Scottish Junior Cup quarter finals is not a new experience for Keir Milliken, yet the Beith front man insists he can feel his nerves jangling ahead of the Ayrshire side’s fifthround clash with Bonnyrigg Rose tomorrow.
The trip through to New Dundas Park will mark Milky’s fifth appearance at the last-16 stage in seven years but he feels an extra motivation in wanting to do well against the current East Region Super League frontrunners.
The former Auchinleck Talbot striker admitted: “Preparations with Beith are no different to when I was at Auchinleck yet I can sense there’s a real buzz around our dressing room.
“I’m no different in that respect mainly because I am desperate to go the whole way in the Scottish with a club other than Talbot.
“Nobody needs to tell us just how tough a hurdle we face in taking on a Bonnyrigg team who are unbeaten this season and by all accounts are physically powerful and extremely difficult to beat in front of their own supporters but Beith will certainly not be shaking in their boots at the prospect of going through there.
“Our form on the road has been nothing short of excellent all season thanks in no small way to Mark McLaughlin, John Sheridan and Kevin McDonald who are our backbone.
“In many respects Beith are not all that different from the Auchinleck sides I played in who were winners against Bonnyrigg at the quarter and semi-final stages so I’m just hoping my luck against them holds good again.”
The postponement of last weekend’s Super Premier Division encounter away to another Junior Cup hopeful Rob Roy led to both sides agreeing to meet in a friendly contest at Bellsdale in order to gain some much needed game time.
And a rampant Beith ran out convincing 7-2 winners with Milliken one of seven different goalscorers on the day. He added: “It was a worthwhile exercise in terms of getting some match sharpness and a lot of players, myself included, were looking to try and lay down a marker for the Bonnyrigg tie.
“And no wonder when you think of the number of strikers we have fighting for jerseys at this club – it’s difficult enough for myself to be competing against the likes of Ross McPherson, Andy Reid, Thomas Collins most weeks but now the pressure has been cranked up a few more notches by Kenny McLean returning from a loan spell at Neilston.
“And the competition would have been even more intense but for Davie McKenna persuading the gaffer Johnny Millar to let him remain on loan with Renfrew despite his deal having ended last week.”
Meanwhile, another pair of Ayrshire teams with their sights set on securing last-eight berths are Irvine Meadow and Hurlford United.
Ben Black, Con Boyle and James Marks will pose the scoring threats for the Medda at home to East Region big guns Lochee United while 2014 trophy winners Hurlford United head through East to face Sauchie Juniors whose ranks are likely to include former Cumbernauld United and Blantyre Vics stopper Terry Hewitt.