Stranraer boss Stevie Farrell is hoping to erase last year’s Scottish Cup hurt when he was part of the coaching staff at Dumbarton when the Sons lost out 1-0 to Bonnyrigg Ross in one of the upsets of the season.
Now in charge of the Blues, they will host Highland League side Brora Rangers in the Scottish Cup Third Round featured match.
Featured Match
The tie has been selected as the Scottish Cup Third Round featured match. Similarly to the featured matches in the first and second round there will be a Scottish Cup photobooth allowing fans to take pictures with the trophy, the Scottish Cup mascot Scottie Cup will be present, giveaways will be handed out and away fans can enjoy a free coach to the match.
One fan will also have the chance to win William Hill Scottish Cup Final tickets. Keep an eye out on our Snapchat (ScottishFA), Instagram (scottishcup) and Twitter (@ScottishCup) for the story of the day.
About the clubs
Stranraer: The club was founded in 1870, making it the third oldest football club in Scotland behind Queen's Park and Kilmarnock.
They have won League One on two occasions, most recently in 1997–98 as well as coming runners-up in 2004–05 and 2014–15. Their only ever national cup final came in 1996, when the club defeated First Division champions St Johnstone 1–0 in the Scottish Challenge Cup final.
The match will be played at Stair Park, which has the capacity to seat around 1,830 spectators and 4,178 including standing.
Brora Rangers: The club were founded in 1879. In 1933 they gained access to membership of the Scottish Football Association and entered the draw for the Scottish Qualifying Cup competition. They were accepted into membership of the Highland Football League in 1962.
The club won their first ever Highland Football League title in the 2013–14 season after a 3–0 win against Keith on 5 March at Kynoch Park.
Current Form
Stranraer: The Blues sit in mid table of League One, three points away from a play-off spot.
Brora Rangers: The Highland League side have reached the Third Round on the back of two thumping 5-0 victories, comfortably overcoming Girvan and Civil Service Strollers. Last week they defeated Lossiemouth 7-0 and lifted the North of Scotland Cup earlier this month.
Team news
Stranraer: Scott Robertson has returned to the fray from suspension in the league and Scott Agnew has been ruled out after picking up an injury last week.
Brora Rangers: Ross Tokely’s side are at full strength with Kyle McLeod recently returning from injury. The striker scored a hat-trick last week and will be involved with the squad once again.
The manager’s thoughts
Stevie Farrell:
“We’ve had an inconsistent season so far but I reminded the players after the weekend’s defeat to Airdrie that we are just three points off a play-off place.
“We’re right in the hunt for it but we’ve not had any consistency so far this season. Once we get that, then we’ll be a frightening prospect and finish in a really strong position in the league.
“Brora are used to winning so we know they’ll come down to our place with a lot of momentum but we’ve proved to be a force to be reckoned with at home this season.
“Last year’s Scottish Cup experience was really disappointing for me when I was at Dumbarton as coach and we lost to Bonnyrigg Rose in a Scottish Cup replay.
“That was hard to take but shows how talented these teams are and I’ve been reminding the players of that experience when I’ve been speaking to them this week.
“We need to make sure we’re not on the end of an upset this weekend.
Ross Tokely:
“The season has gone well for us so far and we’re on a decent run having picked up our first trophy of the season.
“Winning the North of Scotland Cup for the second consecutive year was nice and shows we’re doing well.
“We’ve been pleased with our Scottish Cup form, keeping a clean sheet so far.
“We’ve had experience already this season of playing against a team at a higher level having lost out to Raith Rovers in the Irn Bru Cup a few months ago.
“We showed that day we can compete with that cailibre of opposition. They were just more ruthless than us so we need to focus on taking our chances when they come on Saturday.”
Match officials
Referee: Barry Cook
Assistant Referees: Stephen Mitchell and Colin McAlpine
Admission
Reduced entry prices will apply for the match:
Adults £12, Concessions (65+, FTE) £6, Secondary £3, Primary FREE