Buckie Thistle make the trip to Clackmannanshire tomorrow to take on Sauchie Juniors in the Scottish Cup Second Round.

Sauchie currently sit in fifth place in the East of Scotland Premier League, the same league won by last season’s Third Round opponents Broxburn Athletic.

Neither side are in good form in their respective leagues, Sauchie without a win since defeating Dunipace on the 11th September; while Buckie have won only once in their last four league outings.

The Beechwood Park outfit have come through two trips north to get to Round Two, defeating North Junior Super League champions Culter 2-1 at Crombie Park in Preliminary Round Two, then winning 6-0 at fellow Highland League side Strathspey Thistle. Striker Ross Kavanagh has bagged three goals in two matches and will pose a threat to the Jags defence.

Thistle left it late in Round One, Darryl McHardy’s stunning injury time overhead kick in injury time sealing a 2-1 victory over Carluke Rovers, after fellow substitute Josh Peters equalised 17 minutes from the end.

Buckie boss Lewis Mackinnon had this to say before the trip south:

“We go into the game on the back of a tight defeat last weekend, although we lost the match I felt the performance was decent, and we certainly deserved a lot more out of the game on the balance of play.”
“We do have some injury concerns going into the match, the good news being captain Sam Pugh will be available after coming off injured at Formartine last weekend. Unfortunately, Dale Wood, Ryan Fyffe, Lyall Keir and Fraser Robertson all miss out, with Hamish Munro also doubtful with a knee problem.”
“Sauchie are a decent side playing in a very competitive East of Scotland League, form-wise a little like ourselves they come into the match showing some inconsistency.”
“We’ve carried out our due diligence, and club scout Micky Ross has been great as always in providing detailed reports on their past few matches.”
“I expect it to be a very tough match, of a similar nature to last season’s away trip to Broxburn. Let’s hope it’s the same result in a less dramatic fashion.”
“We had a really good midweek training session in Buckie and the players and staff are right up for another Scottish Cup adventure.”