Allan Hale knows the bumper prize of a home Scottish Cup tie against Aberdeen would await Huntly if they upset Dumbarton tonight.
But as an avid Dons fan, the Huntly manager is doing the best he can to push it to the back of his mind.
The Black and Golds take on Dumbarton tonight after no competitive action in two months, with the Highland League shut down depriving them of regular match-practice.
Their League One opponents have not fared much better, given the lower leagues only resumed at the weekend.
But the Scottish Cup gives both teams for a chance at the limelight, a shot at one of the big-boys. It would arguably carry more resonance for Huntly, given their location less than 40 miles away from the Granite City.
“There’s a few Dons fans in the squad, myself included,” said Hale. “It would be a huge opportunity to face them in the Scottish Cup and the exposure that would come off the back of it. But we can’t look any further than tomorrow night.
“It is a massive incentive. We can’t shy away from that – the draw’s been made so everyone knows what it is. It was the same when we played Cumbernauld Colts, that we knew we’d be getting Dumbarton.”
Huntly do have previous in Scotland’s oldest cup competition. In 2008 they made it to the fourth round, where they were beaten by then-First Division side Dundee 3-1.
But a chance for a home tie at Christie Park against Aberdeen, who have been regulars in semi-finals in recent years, would surely top that.
“For the north-east, I think it’d be a tie to look forward to if we get through,” said Hale. “It’s a dream draw; you want Rangers, Celtic or Aberdeen and when it came out, the players were really looking forward to it.
“We understand Dumbarton will be heavy favourites but we’ve prepared as best we can.
“In the Scottish Cup there’s always a shock. You just never know on the night.”
Highland League clubs had not been given much – if any – notice the competition was going to be coming back in March.
They were shut down with the rest of the leagues below the Championship in January and have not kicked a ball in anger since.
Prior to returning to the tournament, they had to submit to three rounds of Covid-19 testing and cram in two weeks of training. This was after 10 weeks of inactivity.
Thankfully for Huntly all their Covid tests have come back negative and they have been able to play bounce games against Keith and Formartine, provided some much-needed game-time ahead of tonight.
“We’re as prepared as we can be in the circumstances and the players have done extremely well in training,” added Hale. “The condition of the players has been impressive.
“We’ve had three rounds of testing and everyone has come back negative, which is a positive for the club. We’ve managed to play Keith and Formartine, which obviously helps get minutes under their belt and shake off any rustiness.
“The club has put a lot of preparation into testing; it’s a lot of work for what could be one game. But the players have come back in high spirits after what has been a long period out.
“We’re one of seven fortunate clubs (in the Highland League) in getting the opportunity to play a game, when the league is shut down at the moment.”