STONEYWOOD-DYCE may have emerged as the surprise packages in the Eastern Premiership this season – however skipper Jack Mitchell insists the men from the north will be underdogs when they face Carlton in the semi-final of the Citylets Scottish Cup at Grange Loan.
SD have only reached the last four twice in their history, losing on both occasions.
The last appearance was nine years ago and this weekend George Ninan will be the only survivor from the 2010 match.
Mitchell observed: “The fact that Carlton have progressed by beating league champions Grange and current leaders Forfarshire underlined our belief that they are tournament favourites.”
The winners will set up a Paisley final showdown against the victors of the Heriot’s v Arbroath encounter on the other side of the capital at Goldenacre.
Home captain Keith Morton stated: “It should be a hugely exciting contest.
“The tie between the clubs last season was the best game of the summer and we expect another red hot fixture.
“You know what you get with Arbroath – a well led unit with Marc Petrie in charge, a team who will fight for every run and who will bring a large support down with them.
“The facts we won last years contest and have won at Arbroath this season makes us feel confident that we can put in another performance that sees us over the line.”
Petrie said: “It is another massive challenge for us. Heriots have been consistently one of the top sides in the country over the past few years, and it’s no coincidence this has come with Keith leading the team.
“He is a guy I know well and he is a good leader. We must be on top of our game to progress to the final, but if we play in the way we have over the past few weeks then we’re more than capable of getting there.”
The semi-final clash between Heriot’s and Arbroath will be live-streamed via Cricket Scotland TV on YouTube. Subscribe here.
