Cove Rangers captain Mitch Megginson is unsurprised his close friend Ryan Jack has been such a big success at tomorrow’s Scottish Cup opponents Rangers.
The pair have kept in touch since coming through the ranks together at Aberdeen.
Their respective teams will go head-to-head at Ibrox tomorrow evening when Cove take on the Scottish Premiership champions in the third round of the competition in the biggest game in the Aberdeen club’s history.
It looks unlikely Megginson will line up against his former Dons teammate, with Jack recently travelling to London to visit a specialist over a troublesome knee injury.
But the Cove skipper has been impressed with the way Jack has established himself as a pivotal player at the Light Blues under Steven Gerrard.
He said: “We were together at Aberdeen from the under-9s right through to the first team and he’s still a good mate to this day.
“I had a stagger with him a few years ago, which I obviously can’t speak too much about.
“I still speak to him quite a lot, he’s a good friend and I’m looking forward to giving him a few kicks on Sunday if he is playing.
“I said to him that I hope he’s fit to play, but I don’t know what stage he’s at.
“I’m sure if he’s fit it’ll be a chance for him to get minutes under his belt. In my head, he’s going to be play, but I don’t know where he’s at in his recovery.
“I always look out for my mates who play football and I’ve watched him numerous times. He’s a key player at a top class team. To see him do so well and playing with Scotland and to get them to the Euros, that’s the pinnacle of a player’s career.”
Megginson believes Jack’s winning mentality has been the driving force behind his success.
He said: “It doesn’t matter whether it is football or something else, he is one of the most competitive guys I have been around.
“He was like that as a young level and has been like that all the way. He has got a winning mentality.
“Playing at Rangers, where you have to win every week, suits him down to a tee.
“He broke into the Aberdeen team quite early and went on to be skipper there as well. I think that speaks volumes for him.
“Steven Gerrard has also spoken about him highly numerous times as that obviously speaks for itself.
“Ryan has always been a winner throughout his career.
“He was always one who could play at the highest level and since Steven Gerrard has came in, his game’s gone to another level. That’s testament to Ryan’s belief in his own ability and his workrate to make sure he’s working at the highest level.”
Tomorrow evening will be a chance for Cove to showcase what they are all about in a live televised game.
They have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years and have made a smooth transition from the Highland League into the SPFL by being crowned League Two champions in their first season in the senior leagues.
Megginson said: “The Highland League is competitive anyway. But moving into League Two and League One, I think the difference is that you don’t have an easy game.
“You could that see even from the results in midweek. You have to be on it every week and that’s something we have had to adapt to.
“We got off to a fantastic start and then hit a little bit of a hitch. There were games we were trying to win and ended up losing when maybe a point would have been a good result.
“In terms of our overall play, we try and play football the right way. We keep it on the ground and get runners off the ball to make it attacking and exciting.
“There is a real belief that that’s the way we want to play. It’s set in stone and it has been effective. To be able to play that way, you need to be fit and confident.
“Moving up the levels, it has been about being more professional. We were professional anyway, but the standards get raised.
“We are an ambitious club that wants to win games.”
Megginson knows how difficult tomorrow’s tie will be but the 28-year-old takes inspiration from Brora Rangers’ victory against Hearts in the previous round.
He said: “It was a strong Hearts team, so that is a testament to Brora as well.
“I have played up at Brora a lot of times and it is not an easy place to go.
“They have got a good squad, good players and it shows you that it is the cup, it is a one-off game and you never know what is going to happen.
“I think something strange would need to happen, we would need to be at our very best and Rangers would have to be off the ball a bit, but we are confident as a team that we can go there and cause them problems.”