Buckie Thistle assistant manager Lewis Mackinnon prepares his team for an Inverurie Locos 'bounce' from the arrival of new boss Dean Donaldson ahead of this week's Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield quarter-final
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DEAN Donaldson’s appointment as new manager at Inverurie Locos will make the Harlaw Park side dangerous opponents for Buckie Thistle tomorrow night.
So says Jags’ assistant Lewis Mackinnon, who believes his own team will be refreshed and pumped up for their latest quest to end their trophy wait.
Buckie visit Locos in the quarter-finals of the Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield, a competition which they reached the final in last season only to lose out to a last-minute Fraserburgh strike in a 2-1 defeat at Kynoch Park.
Mackinnon and his men are sick of being branded the nearly men in Highland League football and says the entire squad will be geared up for the Locos clash.
Locos lured Turriff United boss and former player Donaldson to become their new manager, replacing former Jags favourite Andy Low in the position late last week - after a horror start to their campaign.
The Harlaw Park side lost 2-0 at home to Banks O’ Dee on Saturday in Donaldson’s first game in charge but Mackinnon is wary of how dangerous they will be with the new manager ‘bounce’.
“You always get that lift with a new manager coming in and they will still have that,” he said.
“They were only just getting to know their new manager on Saturday so they will know each other better by the time we play them on Wednesday night.”
Mackinnon also knows that Donaldson has first-hand experience from playing Buckie this season, as his Turriff team twice played Jags and were beaten 4-0 both in the league and League Cup.
“We have played against Deano’s team Turriff twice already this season so he has had a good look at us, and he is an astute young manager so he will have a good game plan in place against us.
“Having said that, we will be well-prepared for it.”
Jags’ shock exit to Keith in the League Cup meant they had a free weekend on Saturday. Manager Graeme Stewart gave his players a fitness programme to do over the past week rather than take them into Buckie for training sessions.
“It’s a lot of travelling for part-time players playing for Buckie Thistle coming to training so we thought we could do individual programmes and guys can work on different aspects of their fitness, what they are needing and get back together again (on Monday) for training,” Mackinnon added.
He said Buckie are determined to go one better in the Shield and do everything they can to lift the silverware and end their seven-year famine.
“We will be going again and every competition we enter, we are in it to win it. We will be giving our utmost respect to the Aberdeenshire Shield and giving it everything to get the victory.”
Keith will be eager to bounce back from Saturday's 6-1 League Cup semi-final defeat at Brora Rangers when they welcome Huntly to Kynoch Park in a derby quarter-final.
Turriff United will expect to face a similar Aberdeen second string to the ones who knocked holders Fraserburgh out on penalties.
Formartine host Banks O' Dee in the fourth tie of the night.
The North Cup reaches the semi-finals stage with Caley Thistle hosting Nairn County and Ross County taking on holders Brora Rangers.
