Banks o’ Dee have had the upper hand in recent meetings with Aberdeen, but Mark Gilmour is taking nothing for granted as the sides battle for an Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cup final place.
Dee will meet what is expected to be a youthful Dons side at Spain Park tomorrow evening with the winner securing a final date with either Huntly or Buckie Thistle.
Already this term, the Breedon Highland League outfit have beaten the Reds in the first round of the SPFL Trust Trophy.
But midfielder Gilmour insists Banks o’ Dee can’t afford to underestimate their full-time opponents.
The 25-year-old said: “It will be another tough game, but all the boys are looking forward to it.
“We’ve won those last two games, but they were both very close encounters.
“We know we’ll need to be at our best to get a positive result.
“They’re full-time players who are very sharp and very well-drilled, so it’s a big test for us.
“However, if we can put on our best performance hopefully that gets us to the final.”
Banks o’ Dee desire silverware
Banks o’ Dee have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years and Gilmour says the Spain Park squad demand high standards from themselves as they look to reach another final.
In 2021-22, they won the Aberdeenshire Cup and Shield double, becoming the first Junior side to be victorious in those competitions.
The following season, after stepping into the Highland League, they won the R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup before lifting the Shield again last term.
He added: “When we won the Aberdeenshire Cup and the Shield in our last season in the Juniors, that was one of the most memorable seasons we’ve had.
“After having success in these cups, it gives you the hunger to go and do it again.
“But we know everyone is after the same thing, so we don’t take anything for granted, but when you have success, it does drive you to win trophies again in the future.
“We’re an honest squad and we know when we’re at our best what we’re capable of.
“We don’t need any more pressure than what we put on ourselves as a squad.
“Ultimately we want to win silverware and we put pressure on ourselves to do that and that gives us the motivation to try to do well in competitions like this.”
Deveronvale’s Goldie signs on
Elsewhere, Deveronvale defender Jayden Goldie has signed a contract extension.
The 19-year-old was brought into the Banffers’ first-team fold in season 2022-23 and follows Jamie MacLellan in committing his future to the Princess Royal Park outfit this week.
Vale boss Garry Wood said: “Jay has been one of the standout performers so far in our team this season.
“He is tenacious in his defending and his energy is a real outlet going forward.
“I feel he has the potential to kick on further and I’m delighted he has committed to an extended deal with us.”
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