Elgin set for County cup-tie
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ELGIN City's trip to Dingwall will be vital preparation for league action rather than an all-out effort to grab a cup scalp.
Manager Gavin Price, fresh from making two more signings, is treating Saturday's Betfred Cup group clash against Ross County more like a pre-season friendly.
Clearly he would love to see his side cause a shock at the Global Energy Stadium, but getting ready for the League 2 opener at Annan on August 4 takes priority.
This week Price completed short-term deals to sign former Berwick and Arbroath defender David Banjo (27) and attacker Kerr Hay (20), who makes the switch from last season's League 2 champs Montrose.
Both impressed the boss in pre-season wins over lower league opposition over the past fortnight, and will come into the squad to face County this weekend.
Sharpening up squad fitness levels and bedding a new Elgin formation will be the main focus for Price, who has ex-Scotland man Craig Beattie and key midfielder Brian Cameron out injured.
Price said: "We've been playing a new system and it's been very useful to bed that in. The players understand what we are looking for.
"The fitness part is important, the results you don't really look at for me in pre-season. We are under no illusions that we are going to go on a step up now.
"But the next four games are going to be part of the pre-season really."
After visiting a County side relegated from the Premiership last term, City are away to Arbroath a week later, host Alloa in midweek and welcome Dundee United to Borough Briggs in their final group game on July 28.
By then, Price is hoping to have Beattie and Cameron back from injury, and hopes to have Arbroath striker Kane Hester on loan before the long league trip to Annan. Looking at the Betfred campaign, Price said: "They are all against higher level teams so they will be a bigger test.
"If we wanted to go all guns blazing into the Ross County fixture we would have probably picked harder fixtures but we've got to be realistic about our chances in the League Cup.
"We will be giving our all to try and qualify from the group or get as many points as we can, but realistically this format gives part-time teams a thankless task, coming so early in the season.
"Our objective is the league and I'd much rather win our first game in the league than take a win or a draw in the League Cup itself."
Stopper Banjo comes in to cover for Beattie's groin injury, which should only keep the former Celtic man out for a week or two.
Cameron's ankle ligament injury is more serious and he faces a race against time to make the league opener.
Hay's arrival adds to Price's options, a player who can play wide or behind the strikers and scored in two of his trial matches, the win over Kelty Hearts and last weekend's 4-0 success over Buckie Thistle.
Both players will be given the chance to win a longer term contract with the Black and Whites if they impress in the cup matches and the early league encounters.
Price took heart from Saturday's comfortable win against Buckie. "The basics are there, in any given game you play to win and keeping clean sheets is a good thing.
"Hopefully we can get confidence from that as well. The real stuff is a different game all together. We've picked strong opposition from a lower league in Kelty Hearts, Clach and Buckie so it's a stepping stone to what we are coming up to."
Hester (22) is expected to complete a loan move to Elgin after they play Arbroath in their second group match. He would be eligible to play against Alloa and Dundee United. Fellow loan player Kyle Gourlay, Dundee keeper, has also been given the go ahead by his parent club to play for City in the Betfred and Irn Bru cups.
