Ross County midfielder Michael Gardyne wants past cup heroics to inspire the Dingwall side to reach another final.
County reached the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time on Tuesday, after defeating Highland rivals Caley Thistle 2-1 in their quarter-final at Caledonian Stadium, with Gardyne netting the decisive second goal.
Gardyne was part of the County side which reached the Scottish Cup final in 2010, when the club was still in Division 1, before they succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Dundee United at Hampden.
In their run to the final the Highlanders saw off the challenge of then top-flight side Hibernian with a 2-1 quarter-final win at Victoria Park, and then a memorable 2-0 victory against Celtic in the semi-final.
Now in his fourth spell with the Staggies, Gardyne wants another final date, and said: “I was here in 2010 and it was great to get to the final of the Scottish Cup. But it is a new team now, a new management. The way we have gone about our business is brilliant and I think we deserve it.
“The fact the club hadn’t reached a League Cup semi-final final before means another record is broken, which is nice. We are looking forward to the draw. It doesn’t matter who we get. A semi-final at a neutral venue, there is nothing better.
“Every club is up for cup competitions and thinks they can reach the final. We are no different. It looks as though it could be four Premiership teams so I’m sure it will be a tough tie anyway.
“We beat Celtic in a semi-final a few years ago, so that just shows what can happen. It is about who plays better and if we are up for it, we could be in the final.
“We have put ourselves in a position where we can get to a final, hopefully we can do it.”
Jim McIntyre’s side have enjoyed a fine start to the campaign and sit fourth in the Premiership.
Gardyne reckons the Staggies’ latest achievement shows how far the club has come, but the 29-year-old added: “When we went on the run to the Scottish Cup final it was a bit like a fairytale because we were in the First Division at the time.
“But with the way the club is now with the chairman and the manager, we want to be a top six team, we want to be challenging for those places and having good cup runs.
“We have had a good start to the season, but nothing more than that. We need to continue.”