This is usually the bit where I rant about our poor record against lower league sides in cup competitions. I accept it still isn't great, but it is improving. Since Danny Lennon took over we have only been put out by Ross County (on penalties) and Ayr United. The likes of Hamilton (twice), Peterhead, Ross County (revenge!) and Ayr United (more revenge!) have all been dispatched in the last few years so the successes definitely outweigh the failures, which was not the case a few years ago. The problem is that while we often get through eventually, we usually struggle. Of those mentioned the Ayr game was the only one that didn't require either extra-time or a replay, so while the lower league cup shocks may be less frequent we still find it difficult to progress.
This season has also seen a huge improvement in our home cup record, in that we've actually managed to win a couple of games at Greenhill Road - something Lennon had failed to do in his previous two years with the club. Hopefully those two things will combine to allow us to progress tomorrow and ensure our dreams of Scottish Cup glory aren't over before Christmas, something I can't recall happening before. However, it won't be easy as Brechin have picked up a bit since they got a new manager, having gone unbeaten since since October, and comically ran Rangers close in the Ramsdens Cup on the first day of the season.
Thankfully we have also managed to pick up a bit in the last week or so. Things would have been different in a whole host of ways had we not beaten Dundee, but we managed that and then took a point at Ross County. Ideally we'd have won both games but at least we have managed to stop what was an incredibly worrying slide. Time will tell if we've halted it permanently but a defeat tomorrow would pretty much kill off the recovery.
Steven Thompson will be missing for tomorrow's game after tearing his stomach muscle against Ross County during the week. The big striker was taken off at half time after taking a blow to the ribs but it is hoped h'ell only be missing form one game. Sam Parkin is likely to be the man chosen to replace him although it would be nice to see Thomas Reilly given a chance to impress. However, we have to be careful as we struggled against Hamilton last season when Thompson was missing.
There will definitely be at least one change to the team that has started the last two games. Jim Goodwin - who has managed to avoid a booking in recent weeks - finds himself banned after picking up too many yellow cards in last season's Scottish Cup. Jon Robertson is the man most likely to replace him or we could see Dougie Imrie or Graham Carey handed a start and John McGinn move into a more central role. He was superb against Dundee and, by all reports, fantastic against Ross County and deserves to keep his place. The only thing that will deny him another start is his fitness as asking a teenager to play three first team games in the space of a week may be pushing things.
Brechin took the decision a few months ago to get rid of manager Jim Weir following a disappointing run of form. It followed on from last season when they almost ended up in the second division relegation play-offs instead of the promotion ones that they have frequented so often in recent years. Ray McKinnon was handed the job at Glebe Park and it seems to have been an astute move as the Hedgemen immediately put together a few wins and they haven't lost any of their last seven games. They're now third in the table and will almost certainly make the play-offs once again as they bid to return to the first division for the first time since 2006 - which is also the last time we were in it.
Back then we had a couple of youth players in the shape of Craig Molloy and David McKenna, who are now first team regulars at Brechin. Molloy was incredibly unlucky with injuries after starting our first few games in the SPL - helping us to a famous win at Tynecastle when his shot was parried into the path of Stewart Kean to score the winner. He's done well for Brechin in the last few years and was linked with a move to Hibs a few years ago so will be out to impress tomorrow. The same goes for McKenna, who never really got a chance to impress with the first team but has done well in the lower leagues for the last few years. Aside from those pair Brechin also have Garry Brady, who spent five years with us following our promotion before Lennon binned him, so he'll also be out for a bit of payback.
Aside from that three I'm afraid I don't know a great deal about too many of Brechin's players, although I'm rather surprised to see that Craig Nelson is still going in goals, one of the few players still playing that I can recall having in my Panini sticker album while at primary school! Derek Carcary was tipped for big things when he started his career at Queen's Park and the forward had a brief stint at Rangers, while ex Morton man Andy Jackson has a knack of scoring against us and has rattled in 12 goals so far this season. Alan Trouten is another former Morton man and is a bit of a goal threat from midfield. Gerry McLaughlin is relatively solid at the back and had spells at Queen of the South and Stranraer. Johnny Brown and Johnny Stewart came through the ranks at Hearts and striker Kurstis Byrne, who started off at Hibs, is on loan from Ross County so they do have some quality.
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