To the Juniors on the chin
“It was a wee bit false because Petershill had a man sent off in the first 20 minutes. But I got to see the players and what they can do. I’ve got an idea of what to expect and I will share that knowledge with our players.
“You could see that they are used to winning. They have good players and they have some decent recent history.
A number of them have been playing together for a while and they may well have the choice of some of the better players in the Junior leagues.
“You look at the Livingston team we drew 0-0 with in midweek, Scott Pitmann played Juniors – so it is not outwith the realms of the imagination that they can compete at this level when you look at what they’ve done.
“So our quality will be the thing we need to bring. That will be critical.”
Levein has vowed to show Auchinleck the utmost respect by selecting his strongest side, bidding to avoid a repeat of the nervy 1-0 victory Hearts claimed over the Bot in January, 2012.
The second-string Jambos, managed by Paulo Sergio, got out of jail that day with a late Gordon Smith strike.
Although Levein was not at the helm that day, he will heed the warning. “From what I have heard, it was a weakened side that was put out against them,” he added. “I certainly won’t be doing that.
“There might be some changes from Wednesday night but I don’t see the need for wholesale changes at all.”
ANDY’S HEADING BACK TO TYNIE – for more on Auchinleck’s Scottish Cup tie with Hearts see Page 15.
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