Hill of Beath boss Robbie Raeside previews derby with Cowden

The fixture is creating some local football history with it being the first time the two clubs, near neighbours with just over 1.5 miles between them, have met in a competitive fixture.

Raeside said: “This will be a big day for the football community in the Cowdenbeath area and with a good crowd it should be a memorable occasion.

“We have been in decent fettle over the past few weeks, winning four Lowland League East games and two cup ties so confidence levels are reasonably good, but we know Cowden have a lot of positive strengths so we will have to be at our best to get a result.”

Hill of Beath warmed up for the derby with a comeback win at Easthouses on Saturday.

A goal down at the break to 10-man Lily, the Haws rattled in three second half goals to secure a place in the hat for the next round of the Challenge Cup.

And he's hoping they'll take that momentum into the clash with the Blue Brazil at Keir's Park.

“We made a few changes for the tie with Easthouses, giving people like skipper Stuart Love a chance to get playing competitively again, after being out since the pre-season with a leg injury, and it took a wee while for the side to settle," Raeside explained.

“The lads were particularly impressive in the second half and created a lot of good chances and were worthy winners.

“The Challenge Cup is a good competition and one in which we reached the semi-finals stage a couple of years back, so it was good to get the win on Saturday.”

Love came through his return to action well on Saturday so the former Cowden player looks certain to face his old team this weekend.

The boss expects the youthful exuberance of striker Liam Middleton, defender Ryan Kelly and midfielder James Linton to also be very much involved.