Scottish Cup: Whitehill Welfare ready for Highland fling into the next round

Whitehill Welfare will always be remembered for their Scottish Cup highlight against the holders Celtic at Easter Road in 1996 when they gave the Glasgow giants a shock before losing only 3-0 in front of a crowd of over 13,000.

However, in more recent times they have also been successful in beating Highland League clubs including Lossiemouth in the first round of this season's competition to set up a clash with the most northerly senior team in Scotland, Wick Academy, at Ferguson Park tomorrow (kick-off, 3.00pm).

Paul Cavanagh, in his first full season in charge of the Rosewell club, has been doing his homework on Wick and travelled to watch them play Inverurie Loco Works last weekend. Despite a long and tiring journey, Cavanagh said: "It was certainly worthwhile. They are a young side who looked very fit and they reminded me a bit of the Threave Rovers team that knocked Whitehill out of the Scottish Cup last season."

While Cavanagh was spying on Wick, his own side came from behind to beat Tynecastle 2-1.

"We conceded an early goal yet again," he lamented. "That is definitely our Achilles heel so far this season and we just do not seem to be able to get out of the starting blocks in the proper frame of mind.

"Tomorrow, once again, I will be drilling into the players that we must start better. We certainly don't want to be chasing the game from early on.

"The main thing tomorrow is the result because a run in the Scottish Cup would be a great asset to Whitehill Welfare."