John McGlynn has warned Raith Rovers there will be no excuses if they succumb to a Scottish Cup upset this weekend.
The Stark’s Park outfit face a tricky-looking trip away to face Aberdeen juniors side Banks O’ Dee knowing that some are eyeing a possible shock.
Raith have not won in their last five league games and McGlynn has confessed they are currently in a ‘slump’.
The Rovers boss hauled his players back in for an extra training session on Sunday following the disappointment of the previous days’s 2-1 defeat to Arbroath.
But he is adamant the Kirkcaldy club have done their homework on their North Superleague hosts, who stunned East Fife in the last round.
McGlynn said: “There’s a lot at stake. It’s a Scottish Cup tie and their guys have done well to get where they’ve got to.
“We know East Fife, they’re our local rivals here and a League One team, and they’ve taken care of them.
“They [Banks O’ Dee] are a team who win every week. They’re top of their league, they’ve played 16 games and won 15 and drawn one. They’ve not lost a game.
“They’re scoring 12 and 11 and eight and 10 and six virtually every week and they’re obviously the top team.
“They’ve got confidence because they’re winning every week and they’ve got the knack of getting goals. So we respect them.
PRE-MATCH INTERVIEW | 🎙️ 🎥 John McGlynn spoke to RaithTV ahead of the Scottish Cup tie against Banks O' Dee FChttps://t.co/YD96i0JLkR pic.twitter.com/Oo5UwTB7yu
— RRFC Official (@RaithRovers) January 20, 2022
“We can look at their win over East Fife and give ourselves a picture so there are no surprises when we get there.
“It’s up to us to be very, very professional, to have the right attitude and make sure that we apply ourselves and commit ourselves.
“We need to be good on the ball and implement our game on them and go and put them under pressure and play with a tempo that hopefully they can’t handle.
“We are probably playing the lowest ranked team in this round, so, yes, it is a good opportunity – but we need to make sure we take the opportunity.
“There are big rewards for getting a stage further. But we’ve got to take care of this game and make sure we come back down the road still in the cup.”
With Arbroath riding high at the top of the Championship, Raith’s 2-1 defeat should not have come as a massive surprise last weekend.
But McGlynn was furious with the manner of the loss and is hopeful of a reaction on the pitch this week after the training-ground exertions.
He added: “We came in on Sunday and dealt with the Arbroath game, and had closure on it.
“And from Monday morning it was a case of: ‘Let’s get this Scottish Cup tie done’.
“We’re in a little slump and we have to make sure that’s all it is.”
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