Tayport hope to extend proud cup history

And the three-time winners of the national competition kick off with a home tie against Cumbernauld United, who last visited the Canniepairt for a first round tie 25 years ago.

At that time, ‘Port’s climb to the summit of the junior game was already well under way and they won that match 7-1.

Times have changed, however, and a far closer encounter is on the cards on Saturday.

Cumbernauld play in the West Region and, as with Tayport in the East, are currently in the second tier. After five games, they have three points, having won one and lost three of their fixtures to date.

‘Port will go into the game with some confidence, having come back from the brink to defeat Haddington last weekend.

Player-boss Charlie King praised the resilience of his team, saying: “What’s been great has been the character shown by the players. Credit to them for bouncing back from the defeat at Blackburn the previous week and then being 2-1 down late in this game.”

The boss also praised his coaching team, adding: “They made good decisions regarding the substitutions, including taking me off! Jamie Mackie came on to good effect, as did the wide players, Conor Ireland and Jamie Gill.”

Another couple of players were given special mention by the gaffer. “Sergio Alvarez was outstanding. He deserved his starting place and was a big influence on the game. I was also pleased to see Gary Sutherland get the winning goal.”

All these players will be in contention for a starting jersey tomorrow when Cumbernauld come to town in the Scottish. Kick-off at the Canniepairt is scheduled for 2.30pm.