Christie to enlist Locke in effort to beat Auchinleck

MAX CHRISTIE is hoping to get Gary Locke’s help to plot the downfall of Auchinleck when Bonnyrigg take on the holders in the semi-finals of the Emirates Scottish Junior Cup.

Rose pulled the short straw when they were paired in yesterday’s Hampden draw with the Ayrshire giants, conquerors of both Musselburgh and Bo’ness in this season’s competition. The two-legged tie – the first match is at New Dundas Park on Sunday, April 15 – will be the toughest test so far for rookie boss Christie.

But it’s one he’s relishing and he won’t be leaving a stone unturned in his bid to cause an upset.

Hearts coach Locke, a Bonnyrigg boy, will certainly be getting a phone call to see if he can pass on any useful information after the Tynecastle side played Talbot in the SFA version earlier in the year.

“To be honest, I thought it was a certainty that we’d get Auchinleck,” said Christie of a draw that left Largs and Shotts Bon Accord in the other tie.

“They are the biggest club in Junior football, but I’m hoping we’ve got players who are long enough in the tooth to be able to stand up to them. We’ll go and watch them and I will also be seeing what Gary Locke has to say about them. We were at Hearts together and played in the same reserve team a couple of times.”

Talbot brought almost 1,000 fans when they won at Musselburgh in an earlier round and the same, if not more, will be heading for New Dundas Park.

“The fact it is over two legs means it is certainly going to determine who is the better team. We’ll know what we’re up against after the first leg and we’ll certainly be giving it a go in our bid to reach the final,” added Christie.

The return leg in Ayrshire is on Saturday, April 21. Both legs have 3.00pm kick-offs.