Caley Thistle coach Barry Wilson says professional pride must come before any thoughts of a Highland derby when Inverness face Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup tonight.
Inverness face the Jags at Victoria Park tonight, with an away tie against rivals Ross County next Saturday at stake if they progress.
Wilson, who played for both Caley Jags and County, is fully aware of the appeal of setting up a first meeting with the Premiership Staggies since April 2019.
The 49-year-old says Inverness must guard against any upsets before they entertain thoughts of a third round derby encounter.
Wilson said: “It would be great to set up a Highland derby. If it was me I would definitely be wanting to set one up, it’s not as if we play them all the time now and it’s been a while since the last one.
“Personal pride has to come into it more than anything though. We certainly don’t want to be on the end of any cup shocks.
“When I played for Ross County in the Highland League we played against League One and League Two sides, it was a regular occurrence.
“It’s really up to us to show the right attitude and play at a tempo Buckie aren’t quite used to.
“We will treat them with respect, but at the same time we need to do our thing and try to impose our gameplan on the match.”
Buckie have not played since their impressive first round triumph against Albion Rovers on December 26, when Graeme Stewart’s man ran out 3-0 winners over the League Two outfit.
With the Highland League and Scottish Cup having been suspended due to Covid-19, Wilson expects the Jags to be fired up for tonight’s match.
Wilson added:“A few of the Buckie players have been here before and the manager was here himself.
“There are a few and they’ll be keen to show what they can do.
“When we play them in pre-season it’s like a cup final so this week it will be even more so.
“We realise they haven’t had a competitive game in a while so we will need to be playing at a right good tempo from the start.
“They will come out at us, come out of the traps from the outset and see how long they last.
“If I was a Buckie player that’s the way I would be looking at it, I’d be champing at the bit.
“They will think we might be tired so if they come out all guns blazing then they’ll think they can unsettle us.
“We have to be prepared for that.”
Wilson and Ryan Esson have remained constants in Inverness’ coaching team, at a time when Neil McCann and Billy Dodds have temporarily stepped in in place of manager John Robertson and assistant Scott Kellacher who are on leave.
Despite the challenging run of 12 matches in 38 days, Wilson feels the interim management team have struck up a strong working dynamic.
Wilson added: “We have had a horrendous run and we have been flogging the same horses, but the players have responded brilliantly.
“We haven’t had much training time because it has been an unbelievable run of games, it’s all been about getting energy back in the legs.
“Since Neil came in we have been limited to what we’ve been able to do, but after this week we might get a chance to have a more normal week.
“I’ve had to pass on my knowledge of the squad to Neil and he’s taken it on quickly and then Billy came in.
“He’s covered a lot of our games so knows the team, so he’s up to speed.
“It has just been a strange year for everyone and we’ve all had to adapt, it’s been fine.”
Inverness will be without the suspended Brad Mckay and David Carson for tonight’s fixture.
