'It's a logistical nightmare' - Falkirk manager John McGlynn assesses being drawn away to Wick Academy in Scottish Cup

McGlynn’s League 1 outfit will be warm favourites to see off Gary Manson’s minnows, who currently sit 12th in the Highland League, when the teams face off at Harmsworth Park on the weekend of Saturday, November 26. But McGlynn’s planning for the tie is far from straightforward.

"I think, at the moment, because we don’t know exactly what the television schedule will be, we can’t really plan too far ahead,” he told the Falkirk Herald.

"All we know is we’re going that weekend so we’re having to look at hotels, were having to look at when we leave and all these type of things. But we need to find out who’s on television first.

"And I don’t know when they’re going to make that decision. So it is a logistical nightmare.

"Obviously if it’s 3 o’clock on a Saturday, fine. We then work on a plan on the Friday night, prepare that way and come back down the road.

"But if it’s on a Friday night or a Monday night we need to plan differently. Trying to get a hotel in that area to accommodate 20 players and your staff, you’re looking somewhere close to between 26 and 30 people.

"Up that far in that neck of the woods it’s hard to get hotels than can actually cater for that kind of number.

"When I left Raith Rovers the first time around (in 2012) it just so happened that Paul Smith, my assistant, was staying at Raith Rovers.

"And they actually played Wick. So Paul’s been up there and Paul’s done it. The Rovers went up there and won.

"The pitch is probably not going to be great and it’s on a massive hill, it’s on a slope which is ridiculous allegedly, so these are things that you’ve got to contend with.

"I’ve never been to Wick. But I feel we’ll respect them and immediately start to get them watched.

"We’ve just got to make sure we’re in the draw for the next round, that’s what it’s all about.

"It is your type of game where it’s David and Goliath. The BBC kind of like that if you look at the games that they’ve taken.

"But I’m not even sure if the BBC cameras want to go as far as Wick!”

Falkirk, fourth in the table with 21 points from 12 games after last weekend’s shock loss to Kelty Hearts, return to Scottish League 1 action this Saturday when they visit sixth-placed Queen of the South.

“We’ve got to make sure that we take care of Queen of the South,” McGlynn said. “They have come down from the Championship. I’m sure they’ve got aspirations to go straight back up so they will not want to fall further behind the leaders and neither do we.

"So it’s both teams going out to try and win a football match to try and stay in the hunt.”

Falkirk have no fresh injury or suspension problems for the game.