SAUCHIE star Greig Maitland is taking nothing for granted ahead of the Juniors’ trip to face Dundee Violet on Saturday.

Violet lie bottom of the Premier League while Sauchie are favourites for promotion, but Maitland reckons the strugglers will push his side all the way.

But the goalkeeper says it is vital that Sauchie continue their winning streak ahead of next week’s Scottish Cup clash at Renfrew.

Maitland told Advertiser Sport: “Dundee are bottom of the league but it is never easy going up against teams in that situation. The pitch will be heavy and they will be fighting for their lives but we will dig deep and do all we can to come back down the road with the three points. It’s important that we keep up this winning run going into the cup game.

“The boys will be confident going into that cup tie. Everyone was screaming for a home draw but we have done really well in our away games so far so we aren’t too unhappy with it.

"We know Renfrew will give us a tough game. It is never easy going up against any team from the west but it is a good chance for us to lay down a marker. We are looking forward to the game and we are pretty confident we can come out of it with the right result.”

The Juniors will have to do without captain Brian Morgan, who is set for another spell on the sidelines after breaking his leg again in training last week, and Maitland says their skipper’s absence is a huge loss.

He said: “Losing Morgy is a massive blow for the team but it’s also devastating for him. He came back into the team after Christmas and did really well.

"He scored three in two games and was absolutely flying. It was an innocuous challenge in training but it was just in the same spot he injured before. But he is working hard already and I am sure he’ll be back stronger.”

With the race for promotion to the Super League heating up, Maitland believes that Sauchie have got the quality required to finish top of the pile come the end of the season.

He added: “The title race will be exciting. It will be between ourselves, Kennoway and Forfar West End, and although we’ve got five games in hand over them, it’s often said that it’s better to have the points on the board.

"But with the squad we’ve got, we are definitely capable of going and winning the league and getting back to the Super League where this club should be.”