Peterhead captain Steven Noble says Stranraer can expect a much tougher test against the Blue Toon today when they make the long journey to Balmoor in the third round of the Scottish Cup.
The Stair Park men ran out 5-0 winners against the Blue Toon on Tuesday in a one-sided League 1 encounter, but Noble says there is no chance of a repeat when the sides meet for the second time in the space of five days.
He said: “I think playing them again so soon is the best thing that can happen for us.
“You want to put a result like that behind you and Saturday will be a totally different game in any case.
“They know that as well. I spoke with the Stranraer manager Stephen Aitken on Wednesday as I use the same gym as him.
“He thought the same and has told his players what to expect.”
The Blue Toon skipper added: “Stranraer’s pitch suits their style of play. It is a hard place to go and we like to think Balmoor is the same.
“We will have a few players back, so it will be a completely different game.”
Noble says the Peterhead squad will be desperate to avenge their heaviest defeat of 2014 so far by dumping Stranraer out of the national tournament.
Drawing the match would mean another mammoth midweek trip to Wigtownshire, which is something the Balmoor side will be eager to avoid.
Noble added: “I stay only two hours away from Stranraer, so it wasn’t as bad for me, but some of the boys had travelled for six hours to get to the game.
“It is always a horrible journey home whenever you lose but to lose a game in that manner was even worse. It was a hard one to take.
“I thought the scoreline flattered them but they deserved to win and they were clinical with their finishing.
“They scored from a very soft free kick but we started the second half well and it looked like we would get right back in the game. But they scored against the run of play.
“The pitch was really heavy and by the end of the game we were dead on our feet. We only had three subs, including our reserve goalkeeper, so we couldn’t do much to change it.
“We have been unfortunate with injuries but we should have a few more back for this one so hopefully we can get the result we are looking for.”