Russell Duncan says Caley Thistle should consider the SPFL Trust Trophy an attractive prize this season.
Midfielder Duncan was part of an Inverness side which won the trophy 20 years ago, after defeating Airdrie 2-0 in the final at McDiarmid Park.
The victory, in John Robertson’s first spell in charge, was part of a double-winning season which saw Caley Jags win the First Division for the first time.
Inverness begin their cup campaign with a trip to Championship rivals Arbroath on Saturday.
Despite the league being their prime focus, Duncan says another opportunity to compete for silverware should be an appealing one for Billy Dodds’ squad.
He said: “They have got Arbroath, but often you can come up against teams in the league below. It gives you a chance.
“It’s a chance of a trophy. People say it’s the Challenge Cup but it doesn’t matter, a medal is a medal.
“It’s always a good one to win. The final used to be in November and it’s slightly later now, but it’s always a good thing to have in the bag.
“It can hopefully push you on to give you confidence for the league.”
Caley Jags looking to take bounce into league form
Inverness have made a slow start to the league campaign, registering their first point of the campaign in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at home to Dunfermline.
Duncan feels progressing against the Red Lichties can be a step in the right direction.
He added: “It’s a bit of a distraction for them as the league form at the start of the season isn’t what they would have been looking for.
“All it takes is one game to turn things around and you can go on a run.
“Everybody knows what the Championship is like. It’s a horrible one to get out of, but looking back at the year we ended up coming straight back up we were probably getting bigger crowds than when we were in the Premiership.
“They will be looking for a respite from the league, and a wee cup run can help them.”
Mixed memories of Challenge Cup
Duncan reflects fondly on the 2003 final, but was denied another double-winning campaign six years later when Dundee came from two goals down to secure a 3-2 win.
The 42-year-old added: “I have mixed emotions of the finals.
“The year we won it, that set us up well for the rest of the season.
“From what I remember it wasn’t a great final the year we won it. Airdrie were actually not bad, and we struggled a bit in the first half.
“Big Stevie Hislop came on and changed the game for us, he set one up and scored one.
“We played Raith Rovers in the semi-final and won 4-0, which is the kind of game that stands out.
“We also beat Ross County in one of the previous rounds.
“There was another final where we played Dundee and in the first half we absolutely battered them. If it wasn’t for Rab Douglas the game would have been over at half-time, but then they scored three in the second half.”
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