The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Do not be fooled by Stranraer’s early woe
McInally warns his players they must focus
Peterhead manager Jim McInally has warned his players against underestimating today’s opponents Stranraer.
The Stair Parkmenare at the foot of League 1 having lost all three of their opening fixtures, conceding 11 goals in the process.
Pe t e r h e a d won 5 - 1 and 4-0 at Stranraer last season but McInally expects a harder match at StairPark this afternoon against the side that narrowly missed out on promotion in the Championship play-offs with an 8-6 aggregate defeat by Livingston in May.
McInally, whose side is only one point better off after three matches, said: “Stranraer almost got promoted last season and I expect them to be in the mix again.
“We had two really good results there but I think they are in a false position at the bottom of the league. We know it’ll be tough as they have good players but we need to build up confidence by working hard and winning games.
“We did a lot better in the second half of our 2-2 draw with Albion Rovers lastweek. Ifweplay like that we will certainly get there.”
The Blue Toon could hand a debut to former St Johnstone midfielder Scott Brown, who has joined the club on a one-year deal.
McInally said:“He is only 21. He is a dynamic player and a bit different from what we’ve got. He looks to get in the box and is a good passer. He came here on Tuesday and did well. He’s not up to speed in terms of fitness as he has been training by himself for the last few weeks but we are delighted to get him.
“Hewas playing in St Johnstone’s first team and played in Europe. I can see how well coached he is. We just need to get him up to speed.”
However, 6ft 5in Spanish trialist Esau RojoMartinez, who played in Tuesday’s friendly at Lossiemouth, is unlikely to be offered a deal.
McInally added: “He has an interviewinAberdeen. If he gets it we would look again but we wouldn’t bring him over to play part-time.” Ma n c h e s t e r Uni t e d manager Jose Mourinho intends to treat the Europa League with the respect it deserves.
The Red Devils were handed a trip into the unknown after being drawn against Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League.
However, they will also come up against familiar faces at Fenerbahce, who have former United forward Robin van Persie and former Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel in their ranks, while Dutch opponents Feyenoord also have former Liverpool men in forward Dirk Kuyt and goalkeeper Brad Jones.
“There are groups in the Champions League that are very similar, so it is good for that,” said Mourinho.
“We all know the compe- tition is not the same as the Champions League but to have Manchester United playing against clubs with tradition like Fenerbahce and Feyenoord is good for us.
“Weknowthat it will be a difficult group but I think that is a good thing.
“If you have teams without expression then even the fans may not enjoy Thursday nights at Old Trafford. It is good for the supporters and for the players because it will help their motivation.”
Southampton have a glamour tie against Inter Milan and have also been drawn against Sparta Prague and Israel’s Hapoel Be’er Sheva, who gave Celtic a scare in their Champions League qualifier.
League of Ireland side Dundalk also have to go to Israel – to face Maccabi Tel-Aviv – with Russian side Zenit St Petersburg and Dutch club AZ Alkmaar their other opponents.