'We have nothing to lose' – Strathspey Thistle aim to end Scottish Cup woe in Galashiels
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Strathspey Thistle boss Robert MacCormack has said his team has ‘nothing to lose’ as they prepare to meet Gala Fairydean Rovers in the first round of the Scottish Cup.
The Jags make the 350-mile round trip from Grantown to Galashiels this Saturday and the Jags manager admits his team are headed into something of the unknown.
The club has not had much success in clearing the first hurdle of the famous old trophy, only progressing once in their history. That was in the 2019/20 season when they beat Highland League rivals Lossiemouth 2-1 before losing 2-0 to Stirling Albion in the next round.
MacCormack said: “We just hope that we play as well as we can and we will give it everything we’ve got.
“We are going into the unknown really, and to be honest, looking at league positions they will be thinking they have got the ideal draw.
“We have to be realistic about it and go for it. We have nothing to lose – it’s the Scottish Cup.”
But the manager is keeping one eye on key league matches coming up and says that ‘squad management’ will be key to their success.
MacCormack said: “I’m not saying that the Scottish Cup game isn’t important but we have Wick and Lossiemouth at home in our next two league games and they are just as big if not bigger than the game this Saturday.
“We have one or two guys who could potentially play this weekend but we need to make sure everyone remains as fit as they possibly can be.”
The Borderers are in better form than Thistle having won three of their last four Lowland League outings. After a rocky start to the campaign, Martin Scott has managed to inject a winning spirit into his side and they will be keen to avoid a repeat of their first round exit after losing to 4-1 to Sauchie Juniors last season.
Thistle make the trip with a handful of injury absences to contend with, with goalkeeper Ruardhri Nicol, Taylor Sutherland, Logan Ross and Jude Fraser still on the sidelines.
The manager is expecting, however, to have Cairn Giles, James McShane, Liam Grant, Callum Ligertwood and Daniel Whitehorn available for selection.
At the weekend, Thistle were soundly beaten by a relentless Brechin City at Glebe Park. Goals from Spencer Moreland (10th) and Fraser Macleod (30th) set the home side on their way in the first half hour, before Grady McGrath (35th & 41st) bagged two goals, including one from the penalty spot.
McGrath (58th) managed to notch his hat-trick in the second period, but was denied more thanks to some resilient goalkeeping from Steven Martin.
The manager acknowledged a gulf between the sides, but reserved special praise for his new goalkeeper, who has signed for the Jags having last played for North Caledonian League side Invergordon in 2022.
He said: “We were just beaten by a far better team. Brechin are a different league to us, and are by far the best team that we’ve played this season. The first half they were incredible.
“It was 4–0 at half time but that could have been double. In the second half, we dug in and worked hard but it was a difficult afternoon and there isn’t much you can say other than the fact they are far better than us.
“Stevie was absolutely tremendous. We didn’t really think he’d be available during pre-season, but since he’s come in, he has been brilliant.”
