Peter Murphy has been tipped for a big future in management by Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin.

Murphy's Annan Athletic take on the Premiership Dons at Galabank in the Premier Sports Cup tonight.

And the Carlisle United legend's opposite number has backed the Annan boss to progress in his dugout career.

Murphy has been in charge at Annan since 2017 and has twice come close to leading them to promotion via the play-offs.

Goodwin said: "I have a lot of respect for Peter Murphy, a guy I have known for over 20 years.

"He’s done great things with a limited budget and I’ve got no doubt that he’ll get [Annan] climbing back up the table and competing at the top end of the pitch in the play-offs before the season is out.

"Peter won’t be too far away from getting a bigger job as well I’m pretty sure to in the years to come.”

Annan, the only League Two side in the last 16, are hoping to cause a major upset against Goodwin's visitors.

Murphy's men impressively topped their group to set up the Aberdeen clash.

Goodwin says he will not be taking Annan for granted.

“All of these types of games against the part-time teams away from home are all potential banana skins," the Aberdeen boss told his club's website.

"We had similar tests in the group stage of the competition where we had to travel to Peterhead or to Stirling Albion, albeit they are two nice grass parks.

"It will be the first time that we’ve played a competitive game on an AstroTurf pitch for quite a while and for a number of the boys who have come from England, they probably haven’t played on an AstroTurf pitch competitively for quite some time.

"We’ll have to adapt to that but there’s no excuses from our end. We are the favourites going into the tie, we are the Premier League club. Annan aren’t on a particularly great run themselves in their own league, so of course, the level of expectation is on us to go there and and win comfortably.

"I know that it’s not going to be as straightforward as that."