WHEN the draw was made for the second round of the Scottish Cup in Lochee United's clubrooms last Saturday, Spartans must have felt a strong sense of destiny when they were handed the possibility of a trip to Annan Athletic.
It was the Galabank side who were elected as the newest members of the Scottish Football League in the summer on a day when Spartans' aspirations to step into the Third Division were dashed.
And while the Edinburgh club sportingly congratulated
Annan on their elevation, there was no masking the disappointment that they had lost out to their old sparring partners from the East of Scotland League.
Spartans took the blow on the chin and vowed to fight for a place in the SFL another day, but they must have cast a few envious glances to the south-west as Annan have settled comfortably into their new guise as an SFL outfit.
So when Spartans were handed the incentive of a crack at Annan in the Scottish Cup, talk of revenge quickly bubbled to the surface. First however, they have the difficult task of a home replay this afternoon against Pollok, the Glasgow junior side, with whom they drew 1-1 last week.
However, co-manager Mickey Lawson admitted that the prospect of a trip to face Annan would provide extra motivation for his side today.
"I think an Annan tie is a bigger carrot for us than for Pollok," he said. "We might have to be a bit more adventurous today, because we sat in last week and played them on the break. The onus is on us to have a go."
Lawson also hopes to give City Park a fitting Scottish Cup send-off, with this tie potentially the last to be played at the north Edinburgh ground with its famous sloping pitch.
It appeared the East of Scotland club had bid farewell to their home for the past 32 years at the end of May, with their new £3.3m stadium at Ainslie Park a quarter of a mile away first scheduled to have been ready for the start of the season.
But minor delays to the project, coupled with poor summer weather, have meant the ambitious Edinburgh side won't grace their new surroundings until mid-November.
So, after a battling 1-1 draw at the West Junior Superleague leaders last Saturday, nostalgia will be in the air again today as Spartans bid to mark another memorable cup occasion.
Lawson and joint-manager Sam Lynch have created cup headlines in the past after defeating SFL sides and famously took St Mirren to a fourth-round replay in February 2006.
Now they are hoping for a crowd of up to 800 as they seek to recreate the old ground's carnival cup atmosphere and achieve a second-round place.
Lawson said: "We thought there would never be any more Scottish Cup ties at City Park, but here we are playing Pollok.
"We know how hard it's going to be as they're a very good side, but we've got a good record at City Park in the cup. I think Livingston were the last team to beat us there in 2004, and they won the League Cup that year.
"It will probably be the last Scottish Cup tie ever played at City Park, so there is a lot of tradition for this game. Normally when you get a replay it's a job half-done, but I would think it's a job third-done.
"Pollok are still favourites for the tie with the bookies.
"What was coming out of their dressing room last weekend was that they had had a right off day.
"We've got a wee bit of improvement to make as well, but it appears they've got a lot of improvement so obviously we're up against it."
Spartans missed out to Annan in the fight for an SFL place in July, but would have an opportunity for some revenge if they can seal a visit to Dumfriesshire in the next round. They last played at Galabank in Annan's pre-season tournament, no doubt believing it would be some time before they would return.
Admission at City Park is £5/£3 with commemorative programmes for £1 available outside the ground.
The full article contains 721 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
