Wallace Duffy is warning Caley Thistle not to take Kilmarnock’s away day woes into account ahead of Friday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final in Inverness.
The Premiership’s second-bottom side head for their Highland showdown having not won any of their league matches away from Rugby Park.
They did, however, beat Hearts at Tynecastle this season in the League Cup, and Dundee United in the previous round of the Scottish Cup.
And the fact Derek McInnes led his side to the League Cup semi-finals, where they gave Celtic a run for their money, is another reminder of what they can do.
Hosts Caley Thistle are the underdogs for the tie as they sit sixth in the Championship right now – albeit boosted by Saturday’s 2-1 comeback victory at Ayr United.
And defender Duffy is reading nothing into Killie’s disappointing results on their travels.
He said: “Every team in this competition deserves to be where they are, but we did avoid Celtic and Rangers.
“Regardless of Killie struggling away in the league, it’s a one-off game, anything can happen. We can’t look at any statistics, we just have to make the most of the opportunity we have.
“I don’t think there’s a massive gulf between us. We’re not playing at our best, but last year we showed that we could challenge teams in the Premiership.
“We’re at home, too, so we’re confident going into this game.”
Taking advantage of second chance
The cup run this season for ICT began with a hard-fought 3-2 win over League Two high-fliers Stirling Albion.
A 2-0 defeat against Championship leaders Queen’s Park was overturned due to the Spiders fielding an ineligible player in round four.
Therefore, ICT were re-admitted to the cup and they stunned Premiership Livingston 3-0 at the Tony Macaroni Arena to secure this home shot at Killie.
Duffy insists taming the Lions last time out can give them every encouragement that they can defeat another top-table team.
He said: “Obviously, we’ve been struggling in the league for the last three or four months, but those wins in the cup have helped us.
“We’ve been fortunate to get through, we know that, but we have to take advantage of that.
“Livingston gave us a massive boost, and if we can beat them 3-0, I don’t see why we can’t beat anyone else.”
Duffy targets Hampden semi-final
Caley Thistle won the Scottish Cup eight years ago, beating Celtic in the semis and Falkirk in that sun-kissed Hampden final.
Defender Duffy, 23, is keen to add to the history books of ICT going deep into cup competitions.
He said: “I’ve only been here for a couple of years, but I know all about our history in the cups.
⏪ Throwback – December 2021
Sean Welsh's fantastic strike against Kilmarnock last season which gave us a 1-0 win.
We meet Kilmarnock again in the Scottish Cup Quarter Final this Friday!
Get tickets in advance from https://t.co/6z5nBMnHgc – buy in advance to save money! pic.twitter.com/SU8ONJgpvr
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 7, 2023
“A cup run is always good for Inverness, clearly there’s something here that helps us, so hopefully we can continue that.
“Some boys have been here and done it in the team, they’ve won the cup.
“Younger boys like myself haven’t been to Hampden, so it’s a massive opportunity for us to go and make a name for ourselves. Friday is where it starts.”
Cash boost would lift club – Duffy
Caley Thistle last week announced an annual loss of £835,000, and Duffy says the players would love to play their part in helping boost the finances by landing a semi spot where the pot is shared four ways.
He added: “I’m not so sure on all the figures, but obviously if we get to the semi-final, there will be a good prize pot, which will help massively.
“That’s up to the boys to do it. We have to do it for the club and give something back. Hopefully that helps the club massively.”
Last weekend’s league win at Ayr halted a six-game winless league run and keeps ICT just in contention for a top-four charge from next week when they take on Queen’s Park at Ochilview.
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