Cowdenbeath boss Jimmy Nicholl insists last season’s play-off success against Brechin City will count for nothing as the two sides prepare to meet again tonight.
Instead, he believes the factor that will have the most influence on who wins this first division play-off semi-final will be who can keep their nerve.
“Cowdenbeath played Brechin in last year’s play-offs, but I do not think that will have any bearing on the next two games,” he said. “There are loads of different players and new managers on both sides, so it is a whole new ball game.
“Admittedly, they beat us 5-1 in a pre-season game back in July, but we have had a lot of changes in personnel since then.”
He added, “Our ability is not in question it is all about holding our nerve. We have had good experiences in the play-offs to get promoted, but it is a different scenario now.”
Nicholl embarked on a spying mission to Glebe Park on Saturday to weigh up tonight’s opponents.
Jim Weir’s side beat Ayr 1-0 and, while Nicholl confessed he has pinpointed the Brechin danger men, he had difficulty making an overall assessment of the Angus outfit.
“I was at the Brechin game on Saturday, but it was difficult to judge them as Ayr had rested around six of their normal first team. However, I was impressed by Rory McAllister, who scored a good goal, and also by Craig Molloy, who was impressive and sprayed the ball around well.
“So we know the dangers and we will have to concentrate for the full 90 minutes on Wednesday.”
Weir is hoping his team’s cup pedigree this season will help them emerge triumphant.
City have enjoyed success in both national knock-out competitions defeating Dundee in the Co-operative Cup and taking St Johnstone to a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay.
However, winning the promotion play-offs would top the lot.
The Glebe Park men had been comfortably coasting into the end of season shoot-out for most of the campaign, only to falter in April in the end only making it after their final fixture.
It wasn’t the way Weir would have liked them to take their place in the play-offs, but it may actually work to their advantage.
He said, “The way things finished we were only two points off second, which is where I think we should have been, but it’s a clean slate now and we’ve hopefully got four games now to win promotion.
“We played Cowdenbeath in pre-season but they’re a much different side from then. We’ve had them watched and because they’ve been in the first division you’d have to say that makes them favourites.”
He may not have been the Brechin boss this time last year, but he knows the players who were involved in the play-off final between the two clubs then will want to put things right.
He said, “I’ve told the players that they’ve got an opportunity to get some sort of revenge this time round.”