Few will give Stenhousemuir much of a chance of upsetting Falkirk on Sunday evening and manager Gary Naismith, who won the Scottish Cup with Hearts in 1998, says his sole concern is on the League One side’s performance.
“The only thing you can focus on as a manager or a player is giving the best version of yourself,” he said.
“If we do that, that’s all I can ask. It’s disappointing when you go into a big tie and don’t perform to the level you know you’re capable of. We could play at our absolute best and it still might not be enough.
“I’ve never been involved in a Sunday evening kick-off at 7.30pm, so it’s a first for me. I think it adds to the occasion, it’s a local derby, the cameras are here.
“We’re going to have a capacity crowd, which is brilliant for the club and the fans. But it’ll only be great for me and the players if we give a good account of ourselves.”
Naysmith crossed paths with Falkirk boss John McGlynn early in his career, having been a youth player at Hearts when McGlynn began coaching under Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown.
“It was a long time ago,” Naysmith said. “I remember John popping in when we were sorting the training kit.
“He’s worked his way up the ladder and he’s not scared of hard work. He’s very thorough and he’s got his team playing a lovely style of football.
“They’re nice to watch. Against Livingston in the first half they were excellent, they could have been four or five up by half-time.”
