Boss Peter Murphy expects his Annan Athletic players to be put to the test in their remaining Betfred Cup matches.

Having began their competitive 2019/20 campaign with a 1-0 defeat at home to Dumbarton, Murphy’s men take on Queen of the South in a Dumfriesshire derby tonight (7.45pm kick-off).

Then, next Tuesday, they face another Scottish Championship side in Morton before they end their set of Betfred Cup Group E group-stage fixtures at Scottish Premiership outfit Motherwell on July 27.

“On Saturday, that was like a League Two game, with the hustle and bustle, looking for that bit of quality. We didn’t find that, unfortunately,” said Carlisle United favourite Murphy who scored the winner in the Blues’ 2011 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final triumph.

“They scored a goal when we go down to 10 men [with defender Steve Swinglehurst receiving treatment for a head injury]. Fair play to them for taking advantage of that.

"But the next three games will be totally different, it’s not going to be like League Two football. Our boys will be worked very hard.”

Former Workington Reds men Aaran Taylor, Matty Douglas and Jordan Holt could all be involved again at Palmerston Park after they made their Annan debuts.

“It gives me a chance to work on the shape and how we want to play, and we’ll need to be disciplined, because we probably won’t get many opportunities in an attacking sense,” Murphy added.

“So when we do get time and space, that’s when I will be saying ‘Can you settle down and pay attention to the finer details, rather than trying to play at 100 miles per hour’?

"There is all these small, little, details we have to improve on.”