HE may never have been to Fraserburgh or even have seen the Highland League club play in the flesh before, but Graeme Murty knows exactly what his side will face at Bellslea Park tomorrow.

The Rangers manager helped York City, the National League North club where he started his playing career back in the 1990s, pull off a couple of huge upsets in the League Cup in England in successive seasons.

Everton and then Manchester United, David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes et al, were knocked out of the competition by the tiny Minstermen against seemingly insurmountable odds.

So Murty is, despite the players he has brought in to strengthen his side during the January transfer window, not be taking hsi team's safe progress to the fifth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup for granted.

“We will treat it as the banana skin it could be,” he said. “I’ll make sure the guys are prepped and we have our stuff done as diligently as if we were playing against Celtic.

“We have to make sure we walk out onto the football pitch with our attitude spot on. If we don’t we are in danger of becoming the story at the weekend. What we want is to be through into the next round by applying ourselves properly and taking a stellar attitude.

“We must show them the respect they deserve. If we do that then we can have a positive weekend. But we need to make sure that we do show them the respect they deserve and apply ourselves properly.”

Murty added: “I knocked out Everton and Man U in successive years when I played for York. I love taking big clubs to my stadium and turning them over.

“I know what it’s like, I know exactly what’s going to be said in the changing room and I know there are going to be 17 people with 10 out of 10 attitudes, 10 out of 10 application and 10 out of 10 intensity.

“Anyone who is called upon for their team is going to be giving their absolute all. That is at it should be. We have to be prepared for that, we have to be ready for that. If we aren’t like that when we walk onto the pitch then we will put the ball in their court rather than ours.”

York defeated Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in the first leg of their League Cup second round tie in 1995 and went through after scoring in 3-1 defeat in the rematch at Bootham Crescent.

“They were really good,” he said. “Cantona, Cole, Giggs, all that lot played. No matter who you play against, when you go to Old Trafford you know you are up against it. But we were really, really good.

“In the return leg Cantona walked out for his warm-up, six foot odd, massive. I thought: ‘Who’s that? Oh, it’s Eric!’ For his warm up he flicked the ball up three times, bang, bang, bang, and then walked back in. That was it.

“He was a ledge. He had that aura about him. We were in awe of him and we couldn’t afford to be. We took the attitude that we weren’t going to be, we were going to be right in their faces for the whole game. That is how you approach it when you are the underdog. We have to be ready for that.

“We were League Two, they were Premier League. It is one of the highlights of my career. I am going to try and make damn sure these guys don’t have a highlight of their career.”

Murty is, despite bringing in four new players, Jason Cummings, Sean Goss, Russell Martin and Jamie Murphy in the last fortnight, without several key players for this treacherous away cup tie. Bruno Alves, Graham Dorrans, Ryan Jack, Ross McCrorie, Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace are all unavailable due to injury.

He is, though, hopeful club captain Wallace, who last played a first team game back in September, will be back in action soon after the left back underwent a successful bilateral hernia operation.

“He is in a really good state because he knew there was something niggling away and he has had it fully repaired,” he said. “He is happy with how he is feeling and hopefully we can advance him on and he won’t be too much longer.”

Cummings, the Nottingham Forest striker whose zany antics off the field are as renowned as his scoring prowess on it, could make his competitive debut against “The Broch” however.

“Jason is here, he is in the building and he is really quiet and shy and retiring,” he said. “The main thing for me is he has come in and is desperate to be here, is enthused to be here. He wants to play on a big stage, play for a big club and get on the pitch and score goals, which is good for me as a manager.”

Murty anticipates more players arriving at Rangers and some departing before the transfer window closes on Wednesday week. He will be hoping the Ibrox club have not also gone out of the Scottish Cup when they do.