Nairn County boss Ronnie Sharp is urging his side to have a real go at Rothes in the Highland League on Saturday – after giving League 2 Elgin City a run for their money.
The Wee County were edged out 2-1 by their visitors at Station Park on Tuesday in the North of Scotland Cup first round.
Quickfire first half goals from Matheus Machado and Rory MacEwan had the League 2 side cruising.
However, a reply from impressive Rory Williamson gave Nairn a deserved response, but they could not quite find the goal to take it to penalties.
That Nairn performance came hot on the heels of an encouraging 1-1 opening draw at Highland League newcomers Banks o’ Dee last weekend.
Meanwhile, Rothes started their league campaign with a 1-0 loss at Brechin City and will be looking to get off the mark, but Sharp is sure his players can ask questions of the visitors.
He said: “Rothes always provide a stern test and it should be a good game.
“They’ve been in and around the top five the past couple of seasons, so it will be tough, but we’ve got quite a good record against them.
“If we continue to play as we have been, we can cause problems, so hopefully we can get a result.”
Balance in side pleases boss Sharp
Sharp confirmed he has two key men injured at the moment, but was delighted by the display from one of his returning stars in midweek.
He said: “We have got a good balance throughout the team and the squad at the moment.
“We just don’t want to pick up any more injuries. We’ve already picked up two.
“Captain Fraser Dingwall is going to be out for a month or so with a hamstring problem, and Gordy MacNab is sidelined, too, and I’m not sure how long for.
“Tuesday was Callum Howarth’s first game in over a year, which was good – I thought he played really well.
“He’s had 45 minutes here and there, but that was his first full game. He’ll be sore after that, but fine otherwise.”
Improved second half lifted Nairn
The Nairn manager felt his team learned lessons from a below-par first half to come right back at Elgin in the second half, as the victors secured a quarter-final shot against cup holders Rothes on August 17.
Sharp added: “Elgin dominated the first half, but we came back strong in the second half when some of our bigger players came on and made a difference.
Tonight’s Royal British Legion Man of the Match was @Dylan_Maclean1
🟡⚫️ pic.twitter.com/25Ooq5ok4Q
— Nairn County FC (@NairnCounty) July 26, 2022
“We held the ball up in the second half, which we didn’t do in the first half, and we let them play around us.
“Elgin brought a strong team and they are ahead of us after playing in the Premier Sports Cup, so overall I was delighted by how we played.”
Sharp also praised the impact weekend scorer against Banks o’ Dee, Liam Shewan, who made an impact when he stepped off the bench against Elgin.
And he spared a word for his man-of-the-match goalkeeper Dylan MacLean, who thwarted Elgin several times.
He added: “Dylan had some good saves in the second half. He looks a lot sharper this year, which is a good sign.”
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