Cove Rangers boss Jim McIntyre has challenged his side to raise their game for the visit of top-flight Livingston tomorrow.
The League One champions scraped past Albion Rovers in midweek to start their Premier Sports Cup campaign with a victory.
Livingston have had an indifferent start to their season, as they were also given a scare by Rovers in their first group game and then beaten by Caley Thistle in midweek.
The Highland side are in pole position in the group, with Cove and Kelty Hearts still both needing to travel to the Caledonian Stadium.
Cove played St Johnstone in a pre-season friendly last weekend, which should stand them in good stead for the visit of David Martindale’s men.
“They’ve been in the Premiership now for a number of years and had a few top-six finishes within that,” said McIntyre.
“They’ve got a very good side and a way of playing that works for them. We know we’re going to be coming up against a higher calibre of player and it’s up to us to go and show a higher level of performance.
“We’ll need to play a lot better than we did on Tuesday night.”
Hope Yule will be back ‘sooner than later’
Blair Yule missed the 2-1 win over Albion during the week with an ankle complaint.
He pulled out of the warm-up before the friendly against St Johnstone and will miss the Livingston game tomorrow.
“He’s probably looking at a week to 10 days, depending on how it settles down,” said McIntyre. “It’s an inflammation injury in his ankle, so hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later.”
Cove are unlikely to do any transfer business before the weekend either. So far, they have added Gerry McDonagh on a free and Aberdeen youngster Evan Towler on loan, however, recruitment has been a challenge for many clubs in the lower-leagues.
They did have some good news in midweek, though, with striker Rory McAllister returning to the squad after a knee problem.