Ross County manager Jim McIntyre would love to give the Dingwall club’s supporters more Scottish Cup memories to cherish.
In 2010, as a First Division club, the Staggies rocked Scottish football with a 2-0 defeat of Celtic to reach the cup final before eventually losing 3-0 to Dundee United.
However, as County prepare to travel to Perth to face cup holders St Johnstone in the fourth round tomorrow, McIntyre is resisting any thoughts of matching or even bettering that run.
He would rather focus fully on the challenge posed by Saints, who won last year’s competition with a 2-0 win against the Arabs.
County went down 2-1 at Saints in the league last weekend and McIntyre is solely focused on avenging that defeat.
He said: “The occasion a few years back when the club got to the final was such a special day. It is not any different to Ross County than it is to Dunfermline or Queen of the South when they got there.
“For smaller provincial clubs, when you get a cup run it generates that excitement in the town and for the club as a whole because there is a media spotlight. But you have to look at the game in front of you. Any manager will say the same, you don’t start thinking about where you could go. If you do that, you’ll get put out. You just have to try and win the game in front of you.”
McIntyre believes the fact there are five all-Premiership ties in the fourth round could help to open up the competition to more lower-league teams but, conversely, realises there is a guarantee of several top-flight sides progressing too.
However, the Staggies manager also hopes a cup run could help his side’s league form, with the Dingwall men joint-bottom of the Premiership.
McIntyre added: “A lot of lower-league clubs who’ve not been drawn against Premiership teams will see it as a great opportunity. Also, the top-flight clubs will see it the same because there are five going to be knocked out. If you factor in Rangers against Kilmarnock and Hearts against Celtic you’re looking at seven big teams going into the next round.
“So there is an opportunity there. Everyone will see it the same but if you start dwelling on that you’ll take your eye off the most important thing, which is the game in front of you.”