Bleachers set for Blairgowrie test

Luncarty manager Jon Kelly wants a reaction from his players this weekend.

The Brownlands Park side suffered a disappointing defeat to Dundee North End on Saturday but the Bleachers boss is determined to bounce back.

A trip to face local rivals Blairgowrie is on the cards tomorrow, with Kelly insisting that changes will be made to keep his squad on their toes.

He said:“We have Blairgowrie this Saturday which I feel will be a good game to bounce back with. A tough game, but we must be up for it.

“I’m looking for a reaction as there will certainly be changes made to the starting 11.

“I expect Blairgowrie to be up in the top five this year and with the game being away from home, it makes it a very difficult match.

“Last week was very disappointing. I thought first half North End were a lot hungrier than ourselves and were well worth their half time lead.

“Second half we came out and had a go, got back on level terms and maybe at that point we could have went on to win the game with chances missed and a penalty turned down.

“But as I said after the game if you only turn up for half the game against a good side you will always be open to what happened.”

Coupar Angus manager Logan McConachie believes a first win of the season is fast approaching.

And he is hoping his squad can step up to the plate this weekend when they travel to take on a Brechin Vics side who are also looking to get off the mark.

McConachie said:“From what I’ve seen they are a young squad with plenty of energy. We will look to utilise our experience to overcome Brechin on Saturday.

“We are happy with the way we’ve settled in with us starting brightly in games. I think it’s only a matter of time before we get ourselves a convincing victory as we’ve started to see things fall into place.”

There was frustration for McConachie last week following a 3-2 defeat to East Craigie, and he added: “It was a fantastic start from our boys and a real professional performance, only to be dealt with a sucker-punch by being reduced to 10 men after 30 minutes through a wrongful dismissal of our forward Stuart Banks.

“We were in complete control up until that point, so a real frustration not to get the win.”

Meanwhile, another Perthshire derby will be contested for at Tulloch Park on Saturday as Kinnoull welcome Scone Thistle.

Both teams will be looking to nudge up the table at this early stage of the season.