Lewis MacKinnon says trying to reach the last-32 of the Scottish Cup in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than 40 years is a huge incentive for Buckie Thistle.
The Jags take on Clydebank at Holm Park on Saturday in round three of the national competition.
Victory would put Buckie in the draw for the next round alongside the Premiership clubs, who enter the tournament at the last-32 stage.
Last term the Breedon Highland League outfit got that far and landed a dream tie against Celtic at Parkhead.
However, Thistle haven’t made it to the last-32 of the Scottish Cup in successive seasons since 1979-80 and 1980-81.
Over the decades the cup has undergone various changes and when Buckie last reached the last-32 – which at the time was the third round rather than the fourth round as it is now – in back-to-back campaigns, participation was limited to 46 clubs from round one onwards.
Back then only four Highland League teams gained entry to the first round – as a result of reaching the semi-finals of the Qualifying Cup.
This season, though, 102 clubs will play in the Scottish Cup from round one onwards, with every Highland League club entering in the first round.
Buckie boss MacKinnon said: “The Scottish Cup games are huge games every season.
“There are big incentives for getting throug – we got the big draw against Celtic last season.
“That might not come around again, but we’ve got the chance to get ourselves in the hat with the Premiership clubs again. That’s a massive carrot ,and if we can get through into the hat then you see what happens.
“To be consistent and get into the fourth round two seasons running would be a great achievement.
“It’s been a long time since the club has done it and it would be superb if we could do it, particularly having had two really tricky away ties against Sauchie in the last round and Clydebank in this round.”
Another top performance required
Last season in the third round, Buckie pulled of a memorable victory away from home against eventual East of Scotland League Premier Division winners Broxburn Athletic.
The Jags were reduced to 10 men in the first half and trailed twice, but eventually prevailed on penalties.
MacKinnon reckons they will need to produce an even better display to get the better of Clydebank, who are top of the West of Scotland League Premier Division.
But MacKinnon has belief in his side ahead of this weekend’s clash.
He added: “I think Clydebank are a step up from playing Broxburn, and we’ve been a bit indifferent with our form this season.
“But on our day we can beat anyone. We’ll go down there with a game-plan, and if we carry it out correctly, I’m hopeful of getting a positive result.
“We’ll have to out-work and out-battle Clydebank and then try to show our quality when we get the chance.
“It will be a tough ask, but I’m confident we can get a good performance and a good result on the day.
“Our form has been indifferent. Some of the games we’ve lost, I don’t think we’ve deserved to lose.
“We’re not miles away and I think on our day we can beat anyone.”
Banks o’ Dee on the hurdles they must overcome against Hamilton
Banks o’ Dee co-manager Paul Lawson believes they can bridge the gap between part-time and full-time as they try to shock Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Cup.
The Breedon Highland League outfit face Accies – who are seventh in the Championship – in Saturday’s third round tie at Spain Park.
Aside from the difference in levels the respective sides play at, Lawson says Dee will need to overcome a stark contrast in preparation time.
He said: “The difference with teams that are full-time is that they have that extra sharpness both physically and mentally.
“They also have extra preparation time in terms of having all week to work on things, whereas we have boys for an hour-and-a-half twice a week.
“We have to balance our time in terms of what we try to focus on in preparation for games, whereas Hamilton will have all week.
“The fitness of full-time players is also something you have to match, which is difficult.
“But going into a game like this you have to believe – there have been plenty of upsets over the years, and there’s no reason why we can’t cause an upset, although we know how difficult it’s going to be.”
Co-boss backs Dee squad
Despite the differences between part-time Dee and full-time Hamilton, Lawson – who is co-manager alongside Josh Winton – believes they have the talent within their squad to cause problems for Accies.
Banks o’ Dee come into this tie with confidence, having won the Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cup and beaten Nairn County 6-0 in their last two outings.
Lawson added: “There are very good players at our level that aren’t playing in the Scottish League for whatever reason.
“There are lots of good players in the Highland League and it’s sometimes other factors rather than ability that mean they don’t play higher.
“We’ve got some talented players in our squad who can cause problems on their day and hopefully we can show that.
“We need to have belief in our squad. It would be a massive result for the club if we could cause an upset.
“Banks o’ Dee have had some very impressive Scottish Cup results in the past.
“But Hamilton are three leagues above, so it would be a huge result if we could get through, and it would be creating a bit of history for the club to beat a team like Hamilton.”
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