Clachnacuddin will face Caledonian Braves in Scottish Cup second preliminary round draw
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Clachnacuddin manager Jordan MacDonald is happy to have received a home draw in the Scottish Cup.
The Lilywhites will host the Caledonian Braves in the second preliminary round of the competition on Saturday, December, 12, just two weeks after the Highland League is scheduled to kick off.
The Braves, who play in the Lowland League, returned to competitive action last month and have picked up two wins in their last four matches.
Clach have been back in training since September though, and will have played a multitude of friendly matches on top of their minimal league exploits when the cup gets under way, so MacDonald is adamant that there will be no excuses come kick off.
“I’m quite confident we’ll be ready,” he insisted.
“I know friendly games aren’t the same as competitive games, but we’ve played a few friendlies already and we’ve got a few more lined up before we will kick off the league.
“Their league has been up and running since last month, so they’re well into their season while we haven’t started, but there’s no way we will be using that as any kind of excuse.
“We’re at home, and that’s all we could have asked for.
“We’re under no illusions how tough it will be because they’re in a good league, but we got a home draw, so we’ll take that.”
Glasgow-based Caledonian Braves only officially formed in 2019, having separated their senior team from the Edusport Academy.
That means there is no history between the sides, and indeed MacDonald says he is working hard to learn more about the Braves.
While for many teams a cup run would be all the more important this season with the pandemic affecting countless club’s finances, at Clach the manager is quite happy to leave those matters to the board.
“It’s just nice to be in the cup,” MacDonald added.
“The players always look forward to the Scottish Cup, so I’ll let the club deal with the financial side.
“As long as the players are happy being in the Scottish Cup, that’s all I’ll worry about.”
