Cowdenbeath head to Ibrox tomorrow to face Rangers, with manager Colin Nish reckoning some good will come out of last weekend’s disappointing derby defeat from Dunfermline.
The Blue Brazil went down 2-1 in a game in which they believe they should have had two penalties before Michael Moffat hit the winner from the spot for the Pars.
Nish is going to Hampden later this month to defend comments he made about referee Barry Cook after the game, but the Central Park boss is now looking to build on the positives from their East End Park experience.
He said: “There were things to be happy about as we went there without two key performers in Andy Murdoch and Dean Brett, and the boys that came in played really well.
“It also gave us experience of playing in a highly charged environment, and that is what we could face again on Sunday.”
Nish is looking only for his men to do themselves justice in front of the live TV cameras, as he explained: “Playing Rangers away from home is a really tough tie but we have told the boys to enjoy everything about the game. We will go there looking to win but the expectation levels are not massive and we have put no pressure on the boys other than to go there and apply themselves correctly.”
“When you compare where we were at the start of the season and where we are now we have already shown progress as a team.”
Former Rangers goalkeeper Grant Adam was signed this week from Morton but is cup-tied and will miss out, with 18-year-old Jamie Sneddon between the sticks despite carrying a thigh injury.
Nish said: “Jamie will be in goal, and bringing Grant in is no slight on him. He is playing with an injury and we have to be fair on him and give him time to recover. He has had a good first season for us and he will enjoy the occasion in Glasgow.”
The Blue Brazil have brought in 25-year-old Romanian goalkeeper Alin Roman from East of Scotland side Heriot-Watt University to provide cover from the substitute’s bench tomorrow. He has been training with Cowdenbeath and has appeared in their squad as a trialist in recent league matches. He has been signed until the end of the season.
Brett will return, but Jack Beaumont is set to miss out with a foot injury and Andy Murdoch is unavailable to Nish as, not only are they facing his employers, his loan deal expired this week.