Fraser Fyvie may have enjoyed one of his most memorable days in football at Hibernian but it is Cove Rangers’ progress which excites him the most.
Fyvie spent two and a half years at Easter Road, lifting the Scottish Cup in 2016 and helping the club win promotion back to the Premiership.
When he returns to the capital tonight, it will be with a club striving to reach the same heights as their opponents.
Cove entered the SPFL in 2019 and have enjoyed an impressive rise, winning the League Two title in their first season and currently sitting eight points clear at the top of League One.
It is their promise and priorities that occupy his mind heading into the game, rather than reflecting too much on his time with the Hibees.
“It’s just another game of football. I used to play there and I had some good times there, but it’s just another game,” said Fyvie.
“They were good times at Hibs – I was there two and a half seasons and it was really enjoyable. The Scottish Cup run was fantastic, but I’m now going up against them and looking forward to it.
“We’re in good form, there’s no doubt. I thought Montrose were really good on Saturday and we were backs to the wall for long periods of the game.
“Looking to Thursday, it might be similar. Shaun (Maloney) and Gaz (Caldwell) will have them set up to play football; the style they’ll want to play is with the ball on the floor and they’ll try to pin teams back.
“There’s no doubt that’s coming on Thursday, we can be prepared for that, and go enjoy ourselves – which is the most important thing.”
Fyvie scored in the win over Queen of the South which put Cove through to this stage and the removal of crowd restrictions should ensure tonight is a memorable occasion.
“I think it’s important we go down there and put in a performance,” added Fyvie. “It is a free-hit – they’re a Premiership side, their budget and support is miles bigger than ours, so in essence they should go on and win the game.
“But we’re not going down with that mindset. We want to put in a performance and see what we can do.
“There’s always cup upsets that can happen. I think it’s important we try to implement our style, knowing that they are a full-time club and should be fitter, stronger and quicker than us.”
It is difficult not to be optimistic about Cove’s trajectory, given their form at the moment.
But each and every person connected to the club will do their best to remain grounded, as they look to take the next step on their journey.
“We’re going in the right direction as a club,” added Fyvie. “I think it’s credit to the vision the board have put in, from Keith Moorhouse, to John Sheran and Terry Cobban.
“A lot goes on behind-the-scenes and obviously there’s the manager’s vision as well and us implementing it as players.
“It’s important the club is recognised for what it’s doing at the lower levels. I expected this progress (since 2019); the vision was put to me that they wanted to take better in players in, with players here improving over time that have stepped up from Highland League, to League Two and League One.
“We’re in a good position, but Airdrie have got a game in hand on us, which can take it down to five points (at the top of League One).
“We’re still to play them and have got a hard February and March, so it’s really important we take it game by game and see where we end up.”
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