Josh Meekings insists Caley Thistle will be worthy Scottish Cup finalists if they defeat Falkirk in their last four tie next month.
Inverness have been drawn to face the League One Bairns, in a repeat of the 2015 final that they won 2-1 to lift the trophy under John Hughes.
With Celtic and Rangers facing each other in the other semi-final, played on the weekend of April 29/30, it has put paid to any prospect of an Old Firm final.
The tie between Caley Jags and the Bairns will guarantee a lower league club reaches the final, which will take place on June 3.
Inverness’ route to Hampden Park began with a 3-2 win over Stirling Albion in November.
They received a reprieve in their fourth round tie against Queen’s Park which they lost 2-0 in January, after the Championship leaders were knocked out for fielding an ineligible player.
Since then, Billy Dodds’ men have taken the scalps of Premiership sides Livingston and Kilmarnock.
Meekings, who played in the 2015 final, insists his former club have more than earned their shot at glory.
‘Direspectful’ to claim only Rangers v Celtic worthy Scottish Cup finalists
He said: “I read something in an article, claiming that Rangers and Celtic final would be the only showpiece worthy of the occasion.
“For me, it’s a total disrespect, which gives the complete wrong impression of Scottish football.
“The excitement around these smaller clubs, having been there myself on the journey, is massive for the city.
“There will be big financial benefits for both Inverness and Falkirk from this. It’s the beauty of the cup, that’s the whole thing about these competitions.
“In knockout football, anything can happen. I find it very difficult to read these sorts of things.
“Inverness got a second chance in terms of what happened with Queen’s Park.
“But you’ve then got to go and take that. Absolute credit goes to Billy Dodds and the team as they have gone and done that.
“To knock out two Premiership sides afterwards shows they deserve to be there.
“We know what Celtic and Rangers are to Scottish football, they are two clubs to aim at in terms of achievements.
“But these occasions are what makes the cup so special for me, when the likes of Inverness and Falkirk get the opportunity to go to a cup final and get their fanbase behind them.”
Caley Thistle will have to deal with being favourites
Inverness, who are sixth in the Championship at present, will once again go into the tie with the Bairns as favourites.
Eight years ago, Caley Jags were fresh from finishing third in the Premiership, while Falkirk were in the second-tier.
Defender Meekings, who is now assistant manager of Brora Rangers, says the burden of expectation will once again be on the Highlanders.
He added: “They will not be the underdogs in this tie I wouldn’t imagine. It’s a different sort of expectancy but there is still a job to be done.
“It has been a different route this time, with us having been the Premiership side when we won it.
“This time they are a Championship side, but the gap between them and Falkirk is the same, given Falkirk were in the Championship at the time.
“With them being one league below, it brings the same kind of pressure.
“The likes of Danny Devine and Aaron Doran have been there before. The semi-final last time was huge for us, knocking out one of the big two.
“This time there is a greater opportunity to get to the final.”
Meekings hopes Inverness are backed by strong following
Meekings faced an anxious wait to learn if he could play in the final against Falkirk, after he was forced to appeal a retrospective suspension for handball on the line – which was missed by referee Steven McLean – in the semi-final win against Celtic.
The Scottish FA hearing cleared the Englishman of the charge, allowing him to help Hughes’ side to glory.
Meekings is hoping to attend the fixture next month, adding: “It will be great to see just how many people we can get behind the boys again.
“There were almost 40,000 at the last game in 2015. I understand it was a final as well, but between the two clubs if you can get those sorts of numbers through the gate it’s massive.
“The whole city came together as one and got behind us, which I think made it so special.
“There were the scenes at the North Meeting Park afterwards, and it was a great occasion.
“There’s an opportunity there – it’s going to be a tough ask. In cup football, anything can happen as we have seen before.”
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