The defensive midfielder had better believe it, if past encounters between the teams are anything to go by.
Miramar have leapfrogged Wellington Olympic on the league ladder after a 3-2 victory over Western Suburbs last Saturday following the table-topping Blues' 2-all stalemate against the Greeks here on Sunday.
The Rangers have racked up a rash of victories on the trot and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the signing of blokes such as the Team Wellington pair of English import striker Ben Harris and midfielder Cole Peverley, have boosted their stocks in the late revival.
The cup litmus test has come early for defending league champions Rovers who have lost only one game so far this season (3-1 away to Stop Out) but they have turned their park into a fortress, albeit at times when they've discovered the bridge to the moat can often become jammed under intense pressure.
Last Sunday some of the Blues faithful laid bare their feelings after back-up goalkeeper Kyle Baxter's shaky performance. The suggestion is the return of No 1 Ruben Parker Hanks to grease those creaky spools is imperative if they are to keep their grasp on the O'Brien Challenge Shield.
But Baxter is back with Hanks still recovering from injury while Wellington-based Scott Dunn is on standby on the bench with Robertson preferring to "move on" from the thorny issue of using the goalkeeping coach as a stop-gap measure.
The input of playmaker Saul Halpin will be missed after he hobbled off early last Sunday with a hamstring injury, which means someone will have to assume that mantle.
Pearson is no stranger to knockout competitions from his country and the snooze-and-you-lose mantra isn't lost on him.
"They are trophies you want to win. It's our main target this year," says the lad from Chester although he wasn't going to be drawn into saying the cup is more important than the league silverware or vice-versa, as the Blues remain on track for a double after dipping out last year away in the cup final.
"To get to the final and win is got to be great for the club," he says of Rovers who have etched their name on the symbol of national knockout cup supremacy four times (1985, 1993, 2000 and 2002).
Sexier? More cutthroat? The cup definitely wins that one hands down over league well before the engravers reach out for their etching tools.
The longer the game drags on into added time the more the game becomes a lottery and that isn't something either side will want.
The proud tradition and history of the "great club" of Rovers aren't lost on Pearson who is mindful that anyone with remote connections to football will be hard pressed not to know the reputation of a club that lures players from as far as Europe and South America.
"Considering it's not a fulltime football club it's the closest thing to a really professional one, from the top at the board level down to the volunteers," he says.
He suspects his performance on his debut season is "all right" considering the lads have made him welcome although "there's always room for improvement".
In that vein, it also rings true that the Blues "are doing well but can be better".
The Stop Out aberration, no doubt, rankles with some and some tweaks from Robertson and assistant coach Chris Greatholder "to freshen things up" is a testament to that.
"Bill and CG [Greatholder] are trying to get the best out of us with the best formation," says the player who sits in front of the back four defenders, something he is adept at and has been doing in the United Kingdom.
Pearson is satisfied in his role to give the foragers at the coalface the peace of mind required in knowing that if they release the handbrakes they won't have to nervously look at the rear vision mirror on where the Beefeaters are should Miramar wage counterattacks.
Having faced Miramar in the 1-all league draw at David Farrington Park on May 7 when Halpin scored, the midfielder is wiser for the "physical battle" although the likes of Harris were absent.
"It was a most enjoyable game and definitely the best game this season."
Both teams have pedigree players and are devoid of "weak links" so Pearson is expecting some "end-to-end stuff" tomorrow against the Patrick Wiremu-coached visitors.
"It's the highest standard of football I've seen so far," he says.
Former Blues prodigy Andy Bevin will be facing his "home" team for the first time at Park Island although he has worn a visitor's strip for Team Wellington here during the ASB Premiership in summer.
"It will always feel strange playing for the away team in Napier but I just want to win the game and stay in the cup, then enjoy catching up with familiar faces after the game," says Bevin who now lives and works in the capital city after graduating from an American university.
"As for mum and dad, I'd be disappointed if their loyalty wasn't with the Rovers," he says of Theresa and Sean Bevin, who is on the club board.
The Rangers will arrive with a full squad with Peverley and Mikhail Bredeveldt having recovered from injuries.
"Over the past several weeks we've played well and we've played poorly but we've been doing enough to win games to keep the pressure on those above us on the table.
"We're still looking to string together two good 45-minute performances. That will be the only way we can win this weekend's match," says the 23-year-old midfielder who attended Napier Boys' High School.
Like the Rovers, Bevin says Miramar have game changers.
"Ben [Harris] brings a winning mentality that is invaluable, something I believe most players would love a bit more of in their game."
He doesn't think the Blues look any more beatable than usual although "most of the [squad] still have a sour taste in their mouths after losing the final last season so they'll come out firing, I'm sure".
The Rangers, he hastens to add, have a similar league/cup double goal as the Rovers.
"I guarantee it's going to be a hard-fought game."
MATCH DETAILS
For rd 3 of the Chatham Cup this weekend:
WHO: Napier City Rovers v Miramar Rangers.
WHEN: Tomorrow, 2pm kick off.
WHERE: Bluewater Stadium, Park Island, Napier.
REFEREE: Matt Stoneman.
AR1/AR2: Scott Mancer Gordon Harris.
ROVERS: 1. Kyle Baxter (GK), 2 Daniel Ball, 3. Harry Morton, 4. Rob Pearson, 5. Finlay Milne, 7. Stephen Hoyle, 8. Ryan Tinsley, 11. Tom Biss, 14. Josh Stevenson, 15. Jim Hoyle, 16. Danny Wilson (c), 17. Fergus Neil, 18. Ross Willox, 19. Bill Robertson, 21. Scott Dunn (RGK).
Player/coach: Bill Robertson.
Ast coach: Chris Greatholder.
RANGERS: 1 Danny Clarke (GK), 2 Tim Schaeffers, 3 Joel Wiechern, 4 George Milne, 5 Tom Probert, 6 Taylor Hough, 7 Cole Peverely, 8 Andy Bevin, 9 Tom Jackson, 10 Ben Thomas, 11 Mikhail Bredeveldt, 12 Niko Kirwan, 13 Patrick Fleming (c), 14 Finn Moore, 15 Richard Bott, 16 Ben Harris, 17 Dom Rowe, 18 Chris Conway, 19 Aleem Sheik, 20 Peter Halstead, 21 Jack Imray, Michael Stewart-Hill (RGK).
Coach: Wiremu Patrick.
