FORFAR PLAYERS are being warned last year’s emphatic cup win over St Mirren counts for nothing when they meet again today.

“St Mirren will not get caught cold again,” Sky Blues boss Brian Fairley said yesterday.

“They went on to finish second in the first division, so you can see how they improved after the 5-2 result.

“St Mirren are a vastly different team from our last encounter and will be very difficult to beat.”

But Fairley says his outfit is capable of getting past the first round of the Bell’s Cup at Love Street.

He continued, “We go in as underdogs and it will take a tremendous effort for us to get a result against them.

“We have certainly got the players and, if everybody clicks and plays to their potential, we can be a really good side.

“We’re raring to go after a good pre-season and the game will give us an indication of how well our preparations have gone.”

The past week has been spent looking ahead to the clash, with little else spoken about in the dressing room.

Fairley said Forfar have looked at the Buddies’ strengths and ways of combating them.

“Teams at that level are good on set pieces, so we need to be organised, but there’s only so much you can do before a game.

“It’s important that we are able to adjust as the game goes on and that we impose ourselves on it.”

The Loons gaffer goes into the tussle with one headache cleared up—that of finding a temporary replacement for crocked keeper Michael Brown.

Late on Thursday night Fairley signed former Livingston stopper Colin Meldrum (29) on a deal keeping him at Station Park until the end of December.

St Mirren will add striker Billy Mehmet to their squad and with last season’s cup defeat on his mind manager Gus MacPherson said, “It will be tough but we want to wipe out the memory of that defeat.”

Meanwhile, Forfar’s new-look change strip, bright red with a black vertical stripe, is now available at DFS Intersport, East High Street, Forfar, or direct from the club.

MONTROSE have signed 19-year-old Hibs centre-half Jamie McKenzie on loan until January.

Neil Stephen and Duncan McLean have hamstring and calf injuries respectively and are probably out for the trip to first division Ross County.

Manager Henry Hall also has Stewart Ferguson out until the start of next year so had to find a defender who could step straight in.

“I looked at McKenzie at the end of last season. He is full time at Hibs but is likely to find it difficult to get a game.

“He was happy to come to us on loan and should slot in.”

Hall expects a tough game up at Dingwall.

“It is a cup-tie and we have to be prepared to work hard and have a go,” he said.

“We became a difficult team to beat last season and were better organised defensively.

“Our only problem was goals. The fact that our top scorer was a midfielder tells its own story.”

One of the seven new players in the squad is Willie Martin whose pace and strength will be a threat to defenders. He will play alongside local lad Callum Watson, and Hall is looking to supplement the attack with one more signing.

With so many new players in the squad and the prospect of local derbies once more, this is the most keenly-awaited kick-off for some time at Links Park.

Once today’s cup fixture is finished, the campaign begins with another trip to the Highlands and Elgin City.

“The first few weeks are all about finding the right blend for the team, and having a first look at the opposition,” added Hall.

“It’s really important that myself and the team have the vocal backing of the fans again this season.

“The Montrose fans really got behind us last year, and we all appreciated that.”

Arbroath face a tough test when they welcome Stranraer to Gayfield.

Although he knows it will be a stern test for his players, boss Harry Cairney is looking forward to the first game of the new season.

“We have been training for six weeks now and preparing, so it’s good to get the competitive matches here and to get started,” he said.

“It will be a tough challenge—they have done well in the last few years and have signed some decent players over the summer.

“That said, we’ve signed some too, so we’ll just have to go out there and see what happens.”

Arbroath have a poor record against today’s visitors, after losing all four games against Stranraer last season, but Cairney is hoping his players can come away with the win.

“You have got to be hopeful and you never know what can happen,” he said.

As Stranraer prepared for their visit to Gayfield, manager Neil Watt captured defender Andy Dowie who had been released by Partick Thistle near the end of last season after an off-the-field dispute.

But Watt said, “That is behind Andy now and he knows the code of discipline at our club. He is a lad who was with Rangers and then Partick and has a number of under-21 caps and we are delighted to get him.”

And Stranraer are also hopeful that Alan Jenkins, who suffered a slight knock in a pre-season game, will be fit for today.