Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds worked together with great success. But the Cove Rangers boss will be on the opposite touchline to his old friend today.
McIntyre and Dodds were the management duo who brought the League Cup to Ross County in 2016, as well as delivering a top-six finish.
The pair were sacked a year later and have since gone their separate ways, with Dodds becoming a manager in his own right in Inverness and McIntyre returning to the game with Cove this summer after a three-year hiatus.
The two will go head-to-head this afternoon at the Caledonian Stadium, with their respective clubs meeting in the final League Cup group game.
McIntyre saw management qualities in Dodds during their time working together and has been impressed with the job he has done so far in the Highlands.
“I definitely saw him being a manager,” said McIntyre. “Our partnership worked well as we had trust in each other.
“A lot gets made of the titles of manager or assistant manager, but that’s just the way it is. You’ve got to have trust in each other for it to work.
“They have been good in the group and need a point to qualify, so it’s going to be a tough game. The crux of the squad from last season is still there and they’ve made good additions.
“Billy has managed to get his business done early, which is good to see.”
McIntyre wants Cove to be tighter
Cove have already been eliminated from the competition after back-to-back defeats.
They were beaten 2-1 by Livingston last weekend and then suffered a 3-2 reverse against Kelty Hearts in midweek.
“We need to be tighter as a team,” said McIntyre. “Too many times in the game when we were in attack, we were countered upon far too easily.
“We need to be better than that, so that’s something we’ll be working on.
“We need to be better in the final third, too, when it comes to the final ball.”
McIntyre, who will be without injured midfield pair Blair Yule and Jamie Masson, reckons the Cove dressing room will ensure he gets the reaction he is looking for from his players.
“It’s a good group of guys and sometimes you walk in there and hear them having a go at each other about it not being good enough, or standards needing to be up,” he added.
“When you’ve got that, you know it’s a group of players who are capable of giving a bit more. We need to make sure we react and stick together.
“It’s early doors and they have had to play most of the minutes. I’ve not been able to rotate too much.”