GLENSTARGET CUP REWARDS
Demolition job can lead to Scottish Cup
Matt McGinley hopes Rutherglen Glencairn can take one step closer to competing in the Scottish Cup next season when they face Neilston in the quarterfinals of the Strathclyde Demolition Cup.
West of Scotland Premier side Glens will be big favourites against the Conference C outfit and a win will see them into the last four.
The competition gives non-licensed WoSFL clubs the chance to qualify for next term’s Scottish Cup by winning both this tournament and the subsequent playoff versus East of Scotland and South of Scotland non-licensed cup winners.
So there’s an added incentive to bulldoze their way to glory in the Demolition Cup.
McGinley, who was man of the match in the Glens’ league win over Cumnock at the weekend, explained: “There are a lot of cup games to be played but this is a really big one for the teams involved.
“We can ultimately get the Scottish Cup qualification out of it. It was made clear at the start of this cup that we could get the Scottish Cup out of it. So we are taking it very seriously.
“It’s a great chance to go into a semi-final. It’s another massive game so we have to focus on it and look forward to it.
“The favourites’ tag is for other people to speak about as Neilston are having a good season.
“They are sitting second in Conference C and going away to them will be a difficult game
“We have to approach it like we would any other team and any other game.”
Fellow Glens star Keirin Coleman says that while the cup stops league momentum, it’s great for the club.
Coleman added: “At the start of the season, we had 40-odd games, then we take all the cup games into consideration. We will be looking to hopefully progress into the semi-final.
“I would never like to say we were favourites but if we do what we did on Saturday, we should hopefully go up there and beat Neilston to progress into the next round.
“It is a bit of disruption for the league season. You try to get into a run in the league and it’s broken up by these cup games.
“It’s a bit of a nightmare but a blessing too as it’s something else for the boys to look forward to.”