Jamie Masson and Cove Rangers have had enough lessons in the past to know Scottish Cup shocks can happen to anyone.
In back-to-back seasons, Cove were dumped out of the competition by junior side Auchinleck Talbot, a team known for their propensity to cause upsets.
In the 2018-19 season they were held in the opening fixture before losing the replay at Beechwood Park. A year later, under Paul Hartley, they returned to East Ayrshire and were beaten again 1-0.
They face a similar challenge this Saturday, with East of Scotland side Dunipace visiting the Balmoral Stadium.
The seventh-tier side beat Highland League opposition in Turriff United in the previous round and head to the north-east with little pressure on their shoulders.
“All the (former) junior sides down the road are good and you can’t take them for granted,” said Masson. “We had a couple of bad games against Auchinleck.
“It’s a one-off game and they got themselves up for it but our attitude on the day probably wasn’t right. That’s why we lost and we need to learn from it.”
Masson’s Scottish Cup experiences are somewhat bittersweet. He scored in Cove’s 3-2 win over Alloa Athletic in the 2020-21 campaign, which earned the Aberdeen side a trip to Ibrox to face Rangers.
However in the next round he suffered a serious ankle injury, which kept him out for four months.
“It was great to play at Ibrox but the injury was brutal,” he added. “Thankfully the surgery I got was spot on and touch wood, I’ve had no problems from it.”
Injuries have been a frustrating factor in Masson’s last 18 months. He has recently had to come back from five weeks out with a rib injury, suffered in the 2-0 win against Arbroath.
“We didn’t know if it was broken or bruised,” said Masson. “Three weeks in I tried to run and when I picked up pace, I was in agony.
“I had to get on with work, as I’m self-employed, and with some help I was able to get by. It was a bit of a pain as I had a tear in my hamstring, got back and the this happened.
“I hate being on the sidelines watching the boys – there’s nothing worse as a player. But these things happen in football and you’ve got to move on.”
Getting himself back in the Cove side would be a good start to getting his season going. The Scottish Cup tie may present the chance for some players to get much-needed minutes, with few emerging from the loss to Morton last Saturday with too much credit.
“You need to go in with the right attitude and whatever team the gaffer picks, show what you’re all about,” said Masson.
“It’s good coming on but you want to be starting games. Hopefully I can do that on Saturday.
“I want to get myself in the team and get a run of games, that’s what I need. It’s been frustrating but with these things, you need to get your head down and get on with it.”