Mcpherson refuses to look ahead as Queen’s bid for replay win

QUEEN’S PARK

V AYR UNITED

A place against either Stirling Albion or Clyde in round five of the Scottish Cup is up for grabs tonight when Queen’s Park host Ayr United in a replay. However, Hampden head coach Gus Macpherson is only concentrating on the Honest Men.

The Spiders secured a goalless draw at Somerset Park on Saturday and Macpherson knows that his men need all their concentration to be on the Championship side as opposed to any potential League 2 opponent.

He explained: “Of course we are aware of the draw and it is a good one for any of the four teams in terms of reaching a later stage. However, there is a difference from being aware of it and actually having done it so we will not get too far ahead of ourselves.

“We did well at Ayr and there was very little between the teams. We managed to get the replay through sheer hard work and we need that approach again to have any chance of doing more than that.”

Anton Brady will miss out following a booking to add to one he collected last season.

Ayr manager Ian Mccall, below, returns as a manager for the first time to where it all started for him as player 34 years ago. But he will not let nostalgia get in the way of winning.

Despite nearly two decades in management he has never been in charge of a game against his first club at Hampden. He said: “I faced Queen’s Park once as Partick Thistle manager in a cup tie at Firhill and then Saturday’s game and that has been it. I spoke last week of my affection for the club but I am out to make a winning debut there.”

Ayr will need to play better than in the first meeting. Mccall added: “We know the prize on offer but we cannot think about that as we need to up our game to get through. Queen’s played in the organised competitive manner that I thought they would and we cannot argue about the draw.”

Ayr are at full strength tonight. lent form over the winter months.

“There are a number of players who may not have been involved in the recent games but who have been pushing hard for a place, so this will allow them to stake their claim.”

Scotland sit second bottom of Group F with just four points from their first four games.

But Strachan believes victory over the Slovenians will put his team back in the race to qualify.

He said: “It’s important we have a match before the second half of the qualification programme begins.

“We know that a win against Slovenia at Hampden will take us to just one point behind them in second place and put us right back in contention, so the players involved in the Canada game can take this opportunity to show they should be involved.”

Scotland have faced Canada on five previous occasions, winning each time.

They last played each other in 2002, again at Easter Road, with Stevie Crawford and Steven Thompson on target for Scotland in a 3-1 victory.