Beith cup tie is no trip into the unknown for Andy

Andy Murdoch reckons some of his Morton team-mates might be taken by surprise by their surroundings as they take a trip into the unknown away at Beith in their upcoming Scottish Cup tie – but says he knows exactly what to expect.

While many of his Ton team-mates might be in for an eye-opening experience on the tight Bellsdale Park pitch with its infamous slope, midfielder Murdoch is familiar with the venue having played there twice.

It was in his time as a Rangers youth player that he turned out in testimonials against ‘The Mighty’, but the fact he is familiar with the Cappielow club’s third round opponents also leads him to believe we have drawn a banana skin of a tie and cannot afford to take the Ayrshire outfit lightly.

Speaking exclusively to gmfc.net, he said: “It’s an exciting draw. It’s good for Beith and good for us, and something different. That’s what the Scottish Cup is about.

“You come up against teams you’re not sure of. What they’re capable of, what they can do, and you just really see on the day how they are – but I have played against Beith, twice.

“I played in two testimonials against them when I was with Rangers 20s – I would have been about 17 or 18 – and they were both good occasions with decent crowds. I played both games and we won, but they were difficult.

“They play a different way and if I remember right there was a wee bit of a slope, so we just have to deal with that. Sometimes it takes about the first 20 minutes to get used to the surroundings and it’s difficult at the start.

“It’s just different, with a different atmosphere. It will be a challenge and a bit of banana skin, but we just need to do what we always do, treat it like any other game and try and get through to the next round.”

Image (main): Jonathan Mitchell

Image (inset): Steve Welsh