Determined St Johnstone WFC skipper Nicola Jameison is relishing a shot at top-tier Hibs in the Scottish Cup this weekend.
And the 20-year-old centre-half has stressed the importance of giving absolutely nothing away for free.
Perth’s Riverside Stadium hosts the third-round fixture this Sunday and Jameison is up for the challenge.
Saints, who play in the Scottish Women’s Premier League 2, will seek to frustrate and keep it tight against the capital club.
“It’s going to be an experience for us and I think everyone is going to raise their game,” Jameison told the PA.
“It’s good to have the challenge and know what it is like to play a team from the league above.
“That is what we’re aiming for. We want to be playing these kind of teams every week. The experience will be brilliant for everyone.
“We’ll need to stick together and, as a team, lift each other up. If things aren’t going our way, we can’t crumble. We need to keep fighting no matter what happens.
“They might think it will be an easy game but we will fight for the whole 90 minutes.
“We can’t give them anything for free. If we hold them off as long as possible, it might get them frustrated.”
Familiar faces are set to be lining-up against Jameison who, earlier in her career, was signed with Hibs.
“I was training with the first team at Hibs,” she noted. "I played with Eilidh Adams in the under-23s and with Kirsty Morrison, so I’m very familiar with some of the girls.
“I also played with them at younger age levels. We know it’s going to be a hard game but we just need to focus on ourselves.”
Saints will head into the big cup clash with a spring in their step having picked up a confidence-boosting win against Kilmarnock last week.
“We took a while to settle in the first half but regrouped at half-time,” Jameison said.
“We went into the second half fighting. Everything calmed down, we started to dominate more and that was a big positive for the team.
“It showed that, when we play our football and focus on the game, we can get results. We just need to believe in ourselves and start from the first minute.”
Leading Saints out against Hibs this weekend will be a proud moment for the young captain, who is growing into the role nicely.
“It was a big shock at first when I was stepping up to be captain,” she admitted.
“But everyone has been really supportive and the girls have really helped. I think I’ve taken the role on quite well.”
Sunday’s cup game with Hibs takes place at 2pm at the Riverside. All are welcome.
