Manager says Broxburn Athletic will be a step up for Nairn County in Scottish Cup
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Ronnie Sharp expects Broxburn Athletic to be a step up on Nairn County’s first opponents in the Scottish Cup.
Nairn saw off South of Scotland League outfit Threave Rovers 4–0 in the second preliminary round two weeks ago in what was their first competitive match of the 2020/21 campaign.
A close-fought defeat against Fraserburgh in their Highland League opener followed last time out, with Wee County still ramping up to full match sharpness.
On Saturday, Wee County play in the first round proper of the Scottish Cup against East of Scotland side Broxburn Athletic, who captured the country’s imagination in the competition last time out.
From the first preliminary stage, Broxburn made it to the fourth round.
First they beat Tynecastle 2–0, before easing past Girvan in the second preliminary round in Paisley.
In last season’s first round, they beat former SPFL outfit East Stirlingshire, but they needed a replay to get past League Two side Cowdenbeath in the second.
After a 1–1 draw in Cowdenbeath, Broxburn then won 3–0, but they were not limited to home success as they won at Inverurie.
St Mirren then ended their fairytale first ever Scottish Cup run in January, but they left clubs up and down the country in no doubt that they possess quality that will be a threat to Nairn, who lost in the first round to Clachnacuddin in 2019.
So even with the advantage of hosting the match at Station Park, Sharp is under no illusions that his side face a tough task to reach the second round this time.
“Broxburn had a good run in the cup last year, they managed to get through to the fourth round,” Sharp explained.
“They beat Inverurie if I remember rightly, and they beat Cowdenbeath.
“It’s another step up for us compared to Threave Rovers.
“They will be a better team I would think, so it will be a much harder task for us.”
