Ross County midfielder Jonathan Franks has warned there is little time for his team-mates to feel sorry for themselves following the Scottish Cup exit on Saturday.
The Staggies led twice before losing to 10-man Dundee United in a five-goal thriller at Victoria Park but, with a League Cup final to prepare for against Hibernian on Sunday, Franks knows there is little time to wallow in disappointment.
He said: “It is a sore one as we have missed out on another semi-final but, thankfully, we have a cup final to try to put this result behind us.
“We want to get out there as soon as possible and do our best to win the game but it will take a couple of days to move on from this result.
“We’ve got to forget about this game and move on and the final will be the ideal game to pick us up. Win, lose or draw, the result of the Scottish Cup tie would not have come into our preparations.”
County’s hopes of a cup double were dashed by United but Franks knows victory against Hibernian would go a long way to making amends for the Scottish Cup exit on Saturday.
The Staggies and their cup final opponents have struggled for consistency in the run-up to the final but Franks reckons form will be irrelevant for Sunday’s game at Hampden.
Hibs will prepare by spending the week at a training camp in southern Spain but for County it will be business as usual.
Franks said: “We will be fully focused on the final. Hibs are going to Marbella which will take their mind off things by preparing for the game differently but we will be sticking to our normal week.
“The semi-final gave us a taste of going to the big stage at Hampden but the final will be one of the biggest games in the club’s history and I am proud to be part of it. Hopefully, we can go one better and bring the cup home.
“We’ve had our ups and downs this season, as Hibs have as well. They are a good club with a good set-up but every club has a blip in form and I am sure they will come through it. A cup final takes care of itself and we will be going all out to win it.”