THORN Athletic manager Johnny McEwan has warned his players they will need to be at the top of their game to taste cup glory after being handed some tricky ties.

The Johnstone team face a home clash with Borders outfit Langlee in the third round of the Scottish Amateur Cup after this week's draw at Hampden.

Thorn have already disposed of Cambusbarron, of the Caledonian League, and look to be on an impressive run of form so far this season.

Before facing Langlee, a West of Scotland Cup clash with Central Scottish AFL side Campsie Minerva awaits, with kick-off at the Thorn Athletic Sports Academy taking place at 2pm on Saturday.

Both ties look to be a step up from what Thorn have faced in previous rounds.

And, after the postponement of last weekend's Premier League clash with Dalziel, McEwan is keen to make sure his players are up for the cup.

He told Gazette Sport: "Both teams look to be doing well and we will need to be at our best if we want to progress.

"We are happy with the two home draws and it would be a great lift to get through.

"Campsie are a well-respected team and, although we don't know too much about teams from the Borders area, we expect a difficult one, based on Langlee's result in the last round.

"With two good nights of training under our belts this week, hopefully the boys are raring to go."

McEwan also admits he is concerned about cup runs leaving Thorn to play catch-up in the league.

He said: "With the postponement on Saturday and other games going ahead, we are already playing catch-up early doors. However, we will just prepare as best we can and see where the schedule takes us."