The Glenavon squad arrived in Aberdeen yesterday ahead of today’s Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup Third Round tie with Formartine United. The game with the Highland League side will be only the second ever competitive fixture in Scotland for the Lurgan Blues, who lost narrowly to Kilmarnock in a UEFA Cup tie in 2001.

Gary Hamilton is hoping that the game will come as a welcome distraction from the league campaign which has seen his side win only one of the opening five fixtures. “You’re hoping that a bit of time together will be a positive thing, maybe a bit of team cameraderie and team spirit. When you’re playing in the league every week you don’t get the time to regroup as the lads are out on the training pitch and you don’t get to spend time with each other and talk over things.

“Hopefully this will work out a positive, we can get away from the league and concentrate on this one match and try and win. The shackles can come off the boys and they can just go out and enjoy it and play and try and get a result and hopefully bring that back into our league.”

Our hosts have made a good start to their own league campaign, lying 5th in the 17 team league after the opening six games, having won 4 and lost two. They have scored 20 goals while only conceding five. Their last game was on Tuesday night when they defeated a young Aberdeen side 2-0 to reach the final of the Aberdeenshire Cup. Match report