Petrie’s side relishes being put to test

Montrose boss Stewart Petrie insists his side are capable of causing a big upset when they face Championship outfit Queen of the South at Links Park in the Irn-Bru Cup this afternoon.

The Gable Endies will approach the game boosted by last week’s league win over Clyde, with the manager admitting the first-half display in particular was the best since he joined the club.

The Angus side will still start as huge underdogs against the Doonhamers, but Petrie is determined his players will seize the opportunity to progress to the quarter-finals of the cup.

He said: “I thought the lads were excellent last week in the first half and we probably could have been further ahead.

“They came back into it after the break but that first 45 was as good as we have played since I became manager at Montrose.

“So it was good to get back to winning ways with the boys having to come from behind to do so.

“They have set a benchmark with that performance and if we can replicate that, we will definitely win more games than we lose.

“We now have what is a great game for the club against Queen of the South in the Irn-Bru Cup.

“The boys are really looking forward to testing themselves against some super full-time players from a side two divisions above us.

“Hopefully we can put in a good performance and while we are big underdogs, we are at home and are confident after last week’s win.

“Some may see this competition as a distraction from league business but I certainly don’t.

“We are looking to keep things bubbling along and we have a lot of competition for places just now.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for the club to get through to the last eight of a major competition.”

Montrose will be without long-term injured Michael Bolochoweckyj and Danny Cavanagh.

Picture: SNS. Stewart Petrie insists his side are capable of causing an upset against Queen of the South at Links Park in the Irn-Bru Cup.