BY IAIN COLLIN – @CCP_sport
Michael Moffat believes Dunfermline’s League Cup success has whetted their appetite for another knock-out run in the Scottish Cup.
The Pars striker freely acknowledges the challenge that faces them in advancing past old club Ayr United this afternoon, with the Honest Men sitting top of League One on a run of 14 league games without defeat.
However, the 30-year-old insists the Fifers are determined to ensure they give themselves a chance of more giant-killing acts by progressing.
The East End Park men defeated Dundee in the League Cup back in August before losing out to Dundee United in the next round – but only after extra-time.
Moffat said: “We want to get into the next round and then the big boys come in, so you could get a Premiership team or another team and get a wee cup run going.
“We had a wee taste of a run in the League Cup and the boys enjoyed it. We beat Dundee and pushed Dundee United all the way and could have done a wee bit better on the night.
“The St Mirren defeat in the Petrofac Training Cup wasn’t great, but the other two games were good and it’s given the boys a taste of it.
“These are the games you want to play in, to test yourselves against the best opponents.”
Moffat believes the outcome of today’s tie at Somerset Park will not have any influence over the long-term battle between the teams for the League One title and the one automatic promotion slot.
However, with a league meeting just a fortnight away, the former Girvan juniors marksman – who has nine goals to his name so far this term – believes it could still provide the winners with a short-term boost.
Boost
He added: “It’s a one-off game, it’s the cup, but I think whoever wins it will get a bit of belief and a bit more confidence.
“They’re flying at the moment. They’re 14 league games unbeaten, so that’s some run they’re on. Their confidence will be sky-high.
“But we’re nine unbeaten, which nobody is really talking about because Ayr have been going so well.
“So, hopefully we can beat them and put a wee marker down, and dent their confidence a wee bit.”
The Kilmarnock-born player enjoyed three and a half seasons with Ayr before joining Dunfermline to go full-time last year.
He remains in touch with some of those he left behind at Somerset Park but insists those friendships have not been put to the test too severely in the build-up to today’s tie.
He commented: “There’s still four or five of the boys that are there that I speak to regularly and I was speaking to a couple this week, but it’s actually been quite quiet.
“I was asking them when they were going to lose a game – and they were asking me the same thing!
“It was good banter and hopefully we can get one up on them on Saturday.
“But you don’t want to make too many bold predictions before the game because the teams are so close.”
