Ross County supporters had to sit back and endure the sight of their rivals basking in cup glory last season.
So they will have felt no guilt whatsoever in revelling in their League Cup quarter-final victory against Inverness on Tuesday.
County are now the side tasked with bringing more silverware to the Highlands following their 2-1 win, which takes them to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time.
The Staggies looked every bit the better team, barring a late revival from Caley Jags which ensured a tense finish. In particular, Jackson Irvine and Martin Woods took strong command of the midfield, which negated Inverness’ supply to their danger men in the final third, with Miles Storey, Ryan Christie and James Vincent restricted to precious few openings.
It was an impressive triumph by County, all the more so given Inverness have held the upper hand in derby fixtures in recent times, with County’s victory their first in seven attempts in the fixture. There could not have been a better time to avert that run.
Indeed, Inverness’ record has been favourable ever since the two clubs set out in the Scottish Football League in 1994, with 24 wins from the 49 fixtures between the two, compared to County’s 12.
That domination is reflected in cup competitions too, with this being the Staggies’ first victory against Caley Jags outwith the league in six cup meetings.
Inverness brought major silverware to the Highlands for the first time last season when they lifted the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 win against Falkirk – a victory that came just 14 months after John Hughes’ side was defeated on penalties by Aberdeen in the final of the League Cup.
By contrast, County have struggled in both cup competitions since they defied the odds to reach the 2010 Scottish Cup final when they were still a First Division side. Although they were defeated 3-0 by Dundee United, they had the beating of top-flight sides Hibernian and Celtic en-route to the Hampden showpiece. In the five years since, the furthest they had gone was the last 16 in 2012, when they went down 2-1 against St Mirren, so they will be keen to rekindle the magic of five years ago.
Jim McIntyre’s side will approach the last four with confidence given their fine start to the season, although three completely different propositions could arise from the draw on November 9.
County currently sit fourth, but their record against the sides currently occupying the top three does not offer cause for optimism should they draw the winner of the Hearts v Celtic tie, having lost on each occasion they have faced either team this season.
A close-run affair would be expected should they be paired with St Johnstone, with both sides showing great promise in recent weeks and looking good for a top six position. It’s the sort of match that would be excellent for the neutrals, but could be decided by a fraction on the day.
The third possibility is to face the winner of next week’s Hibernian v Dundee United tie. Regardless of who wins, McIntyre’s side would approach the match as favourites, given Hibs’ lower league status and United’s abysmal start to the Premiership campaign.
Inverness did a bit of everything en-route to their glory last season. They firstly negotiated tricky ties against Partick Thistle and St Mirren, both of whom were looking to the cup as a break from uninspiring league campaigns. Caley Jags also proved they could handle lower league opposition, seeing off the threat of Raith Rovers and, of course, Falkirk in the final. In the semi-final, their mettle was put to the test against the best team in the country, but they came out on top against Celtic in a memorable encounter at Hampden.
Caley Jags’ success leaves a lot to be emulated in the Highlands. But make no mistake – this is County’s turn to have a bash.