The weekend and midweek victories over Strathspey and Forres couldn’t have come at a better time for Academy as we look to build momentum ahead of our crucial North of Scotland Cup semi-final against Caley Thistle tonight.
Our fifth league victory in a row has propelled us to fifth in the league, a position that, perhaps realistically, is the best we can hope for given the strength of the four teams in front of us and our severe lack of strength in depth.
But I think the majority of Academy fans would more than happily settle for a top five, or lower, finish providing we finally get the success we so crave in a cup competition.
Despite the shadow of last season’s disastrous Highland League Cup final looming large over us, confidence is high at the Harmsworth that we can avenge that defeat at the first time of asking.
Luck has most definitely been on our side in the two previous rounds of the NOS cup given that we eliminated Brora in a penalty shoot-out and then relied on a last minute spot kick from Sam Mackay to dispose of Clach in the quarter finals.
Given our performances in both of those games, though, there is nobody that could have begrudged us our victories and we now are just one game away from our third NOS cup final.
Standing in our way is the under-20/reserve Inverness side and nobody is under any illusions about how difficult this match will be and they will be given the respect they deserve.
But hope is there that, roared on by a bumper Harmsworth crowd and with motivation levels surely higher than that of our opposition, we can battle to a momentous win.
The signs are good; we beat the same opposition at the same stage to reach the final in 2010 and are currently in a five-match winning streak at home with three clean sheets in a row as well.
And after Caley Thistle only edged out an inferior Halkirk side 3-2 in the last round, you would like to think that our chances of success against them are high.
A very long and tricky away tie to Inverurie just three days before this big match was hardly the ideal preparation, but the 2-0 victory can only help the players’ confidence ahead of another massive 90 minutes tonight.