Ross County forward Steven Craig has lost two Scottish Cup semi-finals. He wants a chance to make amends, starting in tomorrow’s quarter-final against Hibs at Easter Road.
John Hughes’s men stand in the way of the Dingwall club but the trip south holds no fears for Craig, 29.
He said: “It is a great chance to get to the semi-finals.
“I have been to two semi-finals before and it is a tremendous day out. I would love to make it to the final one day.
“I was with Motherwell when we lost 4-3 against Rangers (in the 2002-2003 season). I scored, as did the manager Derek Adams.
“I was also in the losing team with Dundee when Gretna won 3-0 (in the 2005-2006 season). It was bitterly disappointing and I will never have a better opportunity to get to a Scottish Cup final than that one.
“I have played against most of the Hibs players before and going forward they are as good as if not better than anybody else in the SPL.
“But there is no pressure on us. We can’t go into the game looking at their teamsheet.
“They will have a lot of big names in their starting XI but we have to concentrate on how we play.”
Craig is relishing the prospect of the facing Hibs, who are fourth in the SPL.
He added: “Easter Road has not been a particularly successful ground for me to play at but I have always liked playing there.
“I have not won many games there but I don’t see why it shouldn’t change on Saturday.
“The atmosphere is always good, although it is a bit of a shame the old stand is under renovation just now.
“One of the biggest things in the game to combat will be expectation.
“Their expectations will be far higher than ours.
“They have vast experience in their ranks and they should be able to cope with it.
“It is all about how we approach it. There will be no fear on our part.
“It is just a one-off game, regardless of whether we are facing a SPL team or not. We have proved this season we are just as good as anybody.”
Craig shared a dressing-room at Falkirk with Hibs manager Hughes early in his career and is looking forward to being reunited with his former colleague.
He said: “He is a good character. I was just a kid at the time.
“I was only 19 and he used to get up to a few pranks in the dressing-room but I don't think I can repeat any.
“He is a smashing lad and he has proved to be just as successful in management as he was as a player.”