Arbroath boss Todd Lumsden is determined not to let his side get talked into a Scottish Cup shock at Dudgeon Park today against Highland League Champions Brora Rangers.
The Gayfield manager explained: “It is a tough draw but I am not looking for excuses from anyone.
“Yes Brora have a strong squad, yes it is a long way to go and yes it is a long bus journey but we have to put those things to the back of our minds.
“We will travel up early and give the players some time to rest and then eat lunch. We cannot let negative thoughts creep in.”
Lumsden’s squad head north on the back of reclaiming the bragging rights in Angus after a 3-1 win over Montrose with Lumsden saying: “It was a good win and the performance was at the same high level that other recent ones have been.
“I said to the players before the game that I would actually take the result over the performance after what had happened in our first game with Montrose but thankfully we got the right result and a good performance.”
Lumsden added: “We have done our due diligence on Brora in terms of gathering as much information on them as we could. However this game will be decided by who turns up on the day. If we turn up in the same manner as we have in our recent games then we should take care of things.”
Rangers have given permission for Darren Ramsay to play and on-loan Hamilton defender Craig Watson can also feature, with New Douglas Park striker Andy Ryan set to be involved if he passes a fitness test.
Kane Hester and Jamie Reid remain out with ankle injuries. Sergio Alvarez returns, Kieran Stewart is a doubt, while Lumsden is set to add Greg Rutherford as a permanent signing before kick-off.