Elgin City assistant manager and former Aberdeen coach Stefan Laird says Borough Briggs club should not fear Dons but enjoy Scottish Cup occasion

Elgin City will not fear Aberdeen in Saturday’s Scottish Cup fourth round tie, says Borough Briggs number two Stefan Laird.

The Black and Whites’ assistant says his team will be huge underdogs against a top class Premiership side, but can make life difficult for Jimmy Thelin’s men.

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A capacity 4,500 crowd should create a proper cup atmosphere and a “massive occasion” for the town, Laird said.

He will be encouraging the home players to enjoy the occasion, be bold and make the most of any opportunities that come their way.

“There's no fear from us - no fear at all,” he said. “There’s only excitement and we are looking forward to it.

“It will be a memorable day in my coaching career. Nothing replaces playing, but it'll be a massive occasion for the town. We shoulder that responsibility, so that makes it a big occasion for us.

“But at the end of the day, it's a game, and it's a game against a good side. And we're expected to lose, so it's about us going in and enjoying it. Making it as difficult as we can for Aberdeen and see what comes over the 90 minutes.”

Laird was a community coach at Aberdeen with a role in the Pittodrie outfit’s youth academy, and he became the Dons’ ladies football team manager.

He still lives in the Granite City and is picking up some of the buzz that Saturday’s tie has created, not only in Moray but for fans of the Premiership side.

“My fiancée is from Aberdeen and my son was born here. I was delighted it was Aberdeen, obviously, because I live here.

“I think it’s an exciting tie because it's a local League 2 team against a local Premier League team.

“It's not something that happens very often, and it's one of those fixtures that the Scottish Cup can throw up. For us, it was one of the ties of the round, if not the tie of the round.

“I find it absolutely astonishing that it's not on television. But there'll be 4,500 at the game and then I'm sure they could get a few thousand more if the regulations were allowed.

“Aberdeen fans will be looking forward to it, and they'll be expecting a comfortable victory. For us, it's the most fans we'll ever have in our ground now and I think we’ve got to enjoy it.

“If you don't enjoy games like this, you're in the wrong sport.

“We're going to treat it like every other game. We know the odds are stacked against us, but we're going to try and win.”

The Dons’ stunning Scottish Cup defeat to non-league Darvel is still fresh in the memory of their supporters, and Aberdeen’s current 12-game run without a victory means they will arrive at Elgin in need of a confidence boost.

Laird is adamant that form will go out of the window, pointing out that the Pittodrie men have been playing against clubs from their own league, and not three tiers below like City.

He also said that the Black and Whites won’t ‘park the bus’ on home soil but look for ways to hurt Aberdeen where possible.

“The cup's special for a reason. I don't buy into all the form stuff that people are saying about Aberdeen - they’re a Premier League outfit

“They certainly wouldn't be struggling for form if they were playing in League 2, let's be honest. If you need a reminder of the gulf between the two sides, obviously we follow the transfer news and you can see the business that Aberdeen have done for the last week.

“You can buy and sell our club ten times over for one player Aberdeen have taken in. So that's the size of the job in front of our boys.

“But we'll try to make it difficult, and we'll identify ways in which we think we can try and make it difficult.

“We can try and exploit any weaknesses that we can find, or any errors that they make on the day. It's not going to be a case of us sitting with 11 players behind the ball. We don't do that.

“When the time is there for us and the opportunity is there for us to attack, which hopefully we'll get, that's what we'll try and do. It's up to the players to go and try and execute that.

“It's about the players. It's not about us. They make loads and loads of sacrifices. It's a great day for them and their families, and hopefully one will remember.”

At Borough Briggs this season, Elgin have only been defeated by Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup on day one, and by Stirling Albion in the league in December.

Laird said: “The home form has been great. Aberdeen aren't doing as big a journey, but it will be an unknown quantity for a lot of their players. They're used to different surroundings.

“It's not going to be totally alien to them, but it's not going to be as comfortable. It's going to be tighter.

“Even though the pitch is in good condition, it's not going to be in the condition that they're accustomed to. All those little things might make a difference, but they're highly professional as well.

“We all know that they should win, but the reason everybody loves the cup is that that doesn't always work out that way. If there's a one per cent chance, then we'll certainly go after it.

“Our fans know by now, watching the boys, the one thing they're going to be guaranteed is endeavour, effort and commitment.”