Inverurie Locos boss Dean Donaldson has backed his side to come good following a challenging spell.
The Railwaymen face Aberdeen at Harlaw Park tonight (7.45pm kick-off) in the first round of the Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield.
Locos have won once in their last six matches in all competitions, a run which has included exits in the Scottish Cup and R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup.
However, Donaldson has still been encouraged by the Garioch outfit’s performances, and said: “We’re just going through a bit of a blip at the moment, which every team does.
“We’ve been in every game, but when we’ve been on top we haven’t taken our chances.
“It’s not for lack of effort from the boys, we’re just not getting the breaks.
“If we keep doing the right things then it will change.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll come good, because the boys are giving everything and they’re doing well.”
One frustration for Donaldson has been his attempts to beef up Inverurie’s attacking options.
He added: “We’ve got a good balance within our squad, but we do need to bring in a couple of players that can score goals.
“Getting players in is very difficult because a lot of clubs are going for the same players and that makes it harder and more expensive to get them.”
Youth may get a chance
Donaldson expects a tricky evening against what is likely to be a youthful Aberdeen side managed by Scott Anderson.
The Inverurie manager is also considering handing an opportunity to some of the youngsters in his squad.
Donaldson said: “We’re a facing a full-time side, so I’d expect them to be very good.
“They’ll play at a high intensity, they’ll be well-prepared and the players will be looking to impress and get themselves in the first-team squad in the future.
“I’m not sure if I’ll play quite a lot of our young lads or if we’ll play a more experienced side.
“We want to develop the young players we’ve got so they can play week-in, week-out for us.
“We want to do well in the Shield, but we also want to develop players, so I might make some changes – although I haven’t decided.
“Our young lads coming through are good players. We’re trying to develop them. They’re not yet seasoned campaigners, but we’ll get them there.”
Inverurie signed Brendan Hamilton on loan from Aberdeen at the beginning of the month, but it is understood he won’t feature for either side in this tie.
The winner this evening will face Formartine United at North Lodge Park on November 20 in the quarter-final.
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