Scott Allardice insists Caley Thistle should been inspired rather than weighed down by the club’s Scottish Cup triumph of 2015.
The Inverness side have enjoyed some memorable moments in the top knock-out competition, but none more so than lifting the famous old trophy with a 2-1 Hampden win against Falkirk, after knocking out Celtic in a stunning semi-final.
Midfielder Allardice, who recently returned from injury, is finding his feet and fitness and cannot wait to have the chance to knock out Premiership hosts Livingston on Saturday.
ICT were handed a reprieve in the competition when Queen’s Park were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player in the recent 2-0 fourth-round win in Inverness.
As a punishment, the Scottish FA expelled the current Championship leaders and the chance to reach the last eight came to Caley Jags.
Allardice explained the achievements of the 2015 Hampden heroes serve as an extra cup boost for the class of 2023.
He said: “It’s the biggest cup competition in Scotland and, as a club, we’ve had success in the past by winning it.
“We know it will be so hard to replicate what that team achieved, but it drives you on and gives you that bit of motivation. It shows what a club like this can do in the cup.
“Danny Devine and Aaron Doran like to remind us about winning the Scottish Cup.
“But seeing what they achieved and still having those two lads as players shows what this club is capable of.
“I’d never say what this club has achieved in the Scottish Cup is a burden. If anything, it motivates you to try and replicate that.
“We know we’re a long way off from how good those Scottish Cup winners were, but we will definitely try to strive towards that.
“They achieved it, so why can’t this current group?”
ICT determined make cup progress
Being handed a shock second opportunity in the cup is a welcome one for the 24-year-old and he insists the squad are determined to make the most of it.
He said: “It’s a good challenge for us. Livingston are clearly a good side and they are fourth in the Premiership on merit.
“They have shown throughout the season how good they can be.
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“We know we have to perform a lot better than we have been, but we’re looking forward to coming up against the fourth-best team in Scotland.
“Second chances like this rarely happen in this manner, so we don’t want to let ourselves down and go out of the tournament again.
“We’re up against a good side, but we believe in ourselves as players and we want to test ourselves against a team like Livingston.
“It’s a good opportunity and the quarter-finals lie in wait, so it’s a big prize if we win the game.”
Swift attacks put Livi on the ropes
Caley Thistle won 2-1 at Livingston last July in the group stages of the League Cup, thanks to slick goals from Austin Samuels and Daniel MacKay.
Allardice feels there are lessons to be learned from how effective they were in that Almondvale contest.
He added: “The goals we scored came when Livingston were on top. We hit them on the counter.
“We know there are different ways to the game where we can hurt them.
“If we can control the game and hold the ball then hopefully we can break them down.
“At the same time, we also have pace in attack. As we showed last time, we had two breakaways and the ball was in the net within 15 seconds of us having the ball. That’s the danger we can cause them.”
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