George Grierson is praying Irvine Meadow’s luck is about to turn as they look to avoid a clean sweep of cup exits.
Medda’s miserable record in knockout competitions continued last Saturday as they crashed to a 1-0 home defeat against Cumnock in the first round of the West of Scotland League Cup.
Early departures from both the Senior and Junior Scottish Cup competitions mean their last hope of a trophy lies with the South Challenge Cup.
And with a third-round trip to lower league Vale of Clyde looming this weekend, boss Grierson knows only a win will do.
Grierson, whose only two defeats as Medda boss have come in the cups, said: “I honestly think we’ve not had the rub of the green in the cups.
"We were down to 10 men for the last 40 minutes against Cumnock and I believe if we’d kept 11 on the park we could have won.
"I don’t think that’s me looking through tinted specs. I had enough people say to me after the game that we were the team that played the football.
“When Petershill beat us in the Scottish Junior Cup their keeper was man of the match which says it all.
“But we don’t want to use excuses – at a club like Irvine Meadow you need to be in the cups after Christmas.
“Now we have just two things to focus on – the league and the South Challenge Cup.
“We had Vale of Clyde watched against Irvine Vics on Saturday and we’ve got a good idea of what they are all about.
“There’s a real togetherness about them and they will be looking to cause an upset.
“We have to go there and make sure we get the job done.”
Grierson has been delighted with the way his players have bought into his ideas since taking charge in September.
There's been a huge uptick in Medda's league form and they currently lie second in the WoSFL Premier Division.
Grierson added: “We’ve had a dream start to be honest and I’m confident Saturday was just a blip.
"I've heard a few comments that we're still benefiting from a wee jag but i don't think you can say that now because it's been more than two months and you quickly get found out in the Premier Division."
Jamie Whyte is almost certain to miss Saturday's clash through injury while Bryan Wharton, Kyle Faulds and Connor Boyd are all doubts.
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