Opportunity to play Hibs has fired up City players

EDINBURGH CITY captain Ross Macnamara has many happy memories of Scottish Cup exploits in his seven seasons with the Meadowbank-based club although one statistic is still missing from his CV – he has never been part of a City team which has ousted Scottish League opposition from the competition.

But the 31-year-old guidance and PE teacher at Drummond Community High School is confident that will change when he leads his side out against SFL Third Division club Montrose in the Active Nation Scottish Cup fourth round at Meadowbank Stadium tonight.

There is an added incentive for Macnamara and his team-mates because, since this game was postponed from the original date, the fifth-round draw has been made and City – should they defeat Montrose – will play neighbours Hibs at Easter Road in the next round.

"Obviously, to play an SPL club would be a great opportunity for the players and everybody connected with Edinburgh City," said Macnamara.

"A game against Hibs is certainly a great carrot and a superb motivator although we should not need any special motive to beat Montrose and get into the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.

"If we were to win and play Hibs we are talking about this being possibly the tie of all of our lives. There might never again be such an opportunity. Fortunately, I have played three times for Scotland against England at semi-professional level and I have been told there is no bigger game.

"I will be disappointed if we do not win the game against Montrose. We definitely have the ability to win the game but that means keeping it tight at the back and not giving Montrose any opportunities while we have to take the chances that we create.

"Each of us would have to register an eight or a nine out of 10 in terms of performance."

Macnamara has had a bag of mixed results in previous Scottish Cup ties including a 3-0 reversal against Ayr United at Somerset Park in season 2004/05.

"Actually, that was not a bad result and we had chances in that game," said Macnamara. "We were also beaten 1-0 by Stirling Albion who scored very early on and we more than matched them for the rest of the game. East Stirling beat us with two late goals two years ago so this season we want to show that Edinburgh City are capable of beating a SFL team and

earn the right to progress to the next round and make the short journey to Easter Road where we would be playing in front of the biggest crowd ever to have watched Edinburgh City in modern times."

Montrose currently prop up the entire Scottish League with just six points from six drawn games although Macnamara says they should not be underestimated.

"We have had them watched a couple of times and they appear to be a team who keep possession of the ball but cannot transfer that possession into goals. They are neat and tidy so we need to approach the game in the right way.

"We know that the Montrose manager Steven Tweed, pictured, has had us watched and one of theses games was our 7-0 defeat from Spartans when we had several players missing, others playing out of position and we experimented with different formations.

"I don't think Montrose would have learned too much from that because there was not anything real about us that day."

City have had an indifferent start to the Central Taxis Premier Division having lost six of their 10 games and Macnamara added: "We started off quite well winning three of our opening four games then we struggled to put performances together. We were very good in parts of games but things did not really happen in terms of consistency.

"However, our three Scottish Cup ties have seen us win all three games scoring 13 goals and conceding only three in the process.

"We have great players at our level and that level is not too far removed from the SFL Third Division. Take, for example, Annan Athletic, who finished seventh in the East of Scotland League only two years ago before they were voted into the Third Division where last season they finished in mid-table and just missed out on a play-off place.

"The Montrose players will be used to playing at a quicker pace every week but we have players like Steven Clee, Dougie Gair, Ian McFarland, Danny Denholm and Jordan Caddow, who all have the ability to win a football game and they are key to our team. All of them have to be patient but any one of them is capable of turning a game."

City manager Shaun Steven had been set to miss the original date for the game having booked a holiday to Gran Canaria but the collapse of flyglobespan meant that his holiday was cancelled. "It will make a difference having Shaun available because any team wants their manager at games," added Macnamara. "After all he has taken us to this stage."

Macnamara will issue a final message to his team-mates before he leads them on to the Meadowbank pitch by issuing them with an ultimatum.

"We must start well and not lose an early goal," he will say.

"Don't be nervous and, if we play like we are capable of playing, then there is no reason why we should not win."