Scott Boyd helped Ross County perform the role of giantkillers during the club’s lower-league days but the defender knows the Staggies must adapt to the pressure of being favourites tomorrow when they take on Dunfermline.
County make the trip to East End Park to face a Pars side nine points clear at the top of League 1, with Staggies manager Jim McIntyre returning to the club that gave him his first job in management in 2007.
Boyd was part of a Staggies side that upset the odds to reach the Scottish Cup final six years ago when the club was in Division 1, helping the Dingwall men to victories against top-flight sides Hibernian and Celtic en route to the Hampden showpiece, which they lost 3-0 against Dundee United.
The 29-year-old knows the boot is now on the other foot, with the expectation now thrust upon his side to take care of their lower-league opponents in their fourth-round tie.
He said: “Ross County have been there before – being the team playing against teams in the higher division. We need to be at our best to get a result.
“Dunfermline probably could be playing at a higher level. They’re a big club and I’m sure that’s where they’re aiming to be.
“Football changes so quickly and we’re obviously in the Premiership now and progressing. They’re a big side and we’re under no illusions how tough it will be.
“There’s a different pressure being the favourites.
“From my perspective with Ross County, we go into the game with nothing to lose and it’s a one-off match. At the same time, we’ll be going there well-prepared.”
County have already secured one Hampden date this season, with a League Cup semi-final against Celtic to look forward to at the end of this month.
Boyd says talk of another day out at the national stadium in the Scottish Cup is premature and he is primarily focused on ensuring his side reaches the last 16 of the competition.
Boyd, who is County’s longest-serving player having joined from Partick Thistle in September 2007, added: “It’s something everyone buzzes off – the players, the supporters and the club. We’ve seen that with the upcoming semi-final we’ve got at the end of the month.
“It’d be nice to have a few more trips to Hampden but we’re not going to get carried away with ourselves. We’ll go down there fully focused and I’m sure we’ll do the business.”