Stand-in manager Davie Adams insists threadbare Kilwinning Rangers can avoid a cup banana skin tomorrow and keep their season alive.
The Buffs are down to the bare bones ahead of a trip to lower league Thorniewood in the quarter finals of the Killie Pie West of Scotland Cup.
Injuries and holidays mean they’ll struggle to fill the bench with coach Adams taking the team in the absence of caretaker/assistant manager Mark Campbell who is away on a pre-arranged break.
A rule banning trialists from cup games seriously limits Kilwinning’s options.
But Adams is confident they can come through the tie and extend their season having already wrapped up their league campaign.
And he reckons the carrot of silverware can keep the players fully focused.
He said: “At the end of the day we should have enough to get through the tie as long as long as the mindset is right and we go about the job in a professional manner.
“It’s a wee bit of a banana skin though because Thorniewood have been on a decent run.
“They knocked out Benburb in the last round so they obviously have something about them.
“For us though, this is a competition we have to believe we can win.”
"It’s the second biggest cup competition and as players you want to be involved in semi-finals and finals.
“Anything can happen in a one-off game and what a lift winning it would give us going into next season.”
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here