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Having kicked-off our Premier Sports Cup campaign with a victory and clean sheet against The Spartans, the team faces Premiership new boys Falkirk in our second group game.

The match is sure to represent a step-up in quality with John McGlynn’s side now among the SPFL big boys after back-to-back promotions, and they began their season in some style with a 7-0 win at Brechin.

Paul Hartley knows it could be a tough afternoon, but believes it’s one his players have to go into in a positive frame of mind:

“There were a lot of good things on Tuesday night. The second half was a bit indifferent, but you’ve got to expect that at this stage, nobody’s really ready, we’re all still a bit rusty.

“We will need to be at our best for this one, they’re a good team, have kept the majority of their squad over the past couple of seasons and John has added over the summer. It’s going to be a tough game, so we’re going to have to be organised and disciplined.”

“Having played Aberdeen pre-season will have helped the boys, and we know that at times we’re not going to see much of the ball. When we have it, we need to make sure we are positive with it.

“We do want to qualify from the group if we can, but apart from that, the next three games are all about getting that sharpness and making sure we’re ready for the League One opener against Queen of the South.”

The manager continues to try to add to his squad, admitting he is still short in that respect, and he will not be helped on Saturday by the absence of Fraser Fyvie, the captain joining Blair Yule and Ryan Harrington on the sidelines:

“It’s possibly a week too early for Ryan and Blair, but Fyvie’s probably out for a couple of weeks, so we are at the bare bones. These are boys who are regulars, important players for me, but we just have to get on with it.

“I’ve been trying to get one or two in for the weekend, but it’s never easy, and if we can’t, we go with what we’ve got.”

Tickets for the game can be purchased at the CRFC website.

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