Scott Richards was part of the Broxburn Athletic side that defied the odds to reach the Scottish Cup fourth round three seasons ago.
On Saturday, he’ll be doing everything he can to ensure that doesn’t happen again as he lines up against his former team in a Blackburn United jersey.
Richards came through the ranks at his hometown team and helped the Brox cause shock after shock during their inaugural Scottish Cup run, eventually falling 3-0 away to Premiership side St Mirren in front of over 1500 travelling fans.
He knows all about the magic of the cup and is hoping he can experience similar highs at United.
Speaking to the Courier, he said: “It is a bit of a funny one because usually in cup games you’re keen to avoid sides in the same division but this is different. It’s one that everyone involved with both clubs will be really looking forward to and it being a cup game obviously adds something extra.”
He added: “Nobody gave us a chance of progressing that far at Broxburn and to get a Premiership team away from home was a brilliant experience and special occasion.
“I came off the bench for the last 15 minutes or so and we really held our own. The boys were brilliant that day and we were only losing 1-0 heading into the 89th minute before they got a couple late on.
“It was good to get on the park and get that experience but it just goes to show that you never know what can happen in this competition.
“There’s no reason why Blackburn can’t go on a run like that. It would certainly be special to be part of a similar type of run.”
The Purdie Worldwide Community Stadium outfit reached the first round proper for the first time in the club’s history last season, defeating Easthouses Lily in the preliminary round before being edged out in the final minute at home to Highland League outfit Rothes.
The aim, clearly, is to at least replicate that achievement this term with Richards saying: “I didn’t get to experience the Scottish Cup last season when I was at Bathgate Thistle but the boys here got through to the first round which was a big moment for the club.
“That’s what we want to be achieving again this season and hopefully go even further. We go into the game with plenty of confidence because we’ve played some of the top teams in the league and shown we can compete.
“We drew with Broxburn a couple of weeks ago and Linlithgow before that so we know the levels we can perform at but anything can happen in a cup game. We certainly have nothing to fear.”
Richards, who has two goals to his name this term, is hoping a vocal support will make the short trip to Albyn Park and help get his team over the line.
He commented: “There’s definitely no excuse to miss this one! It’s only 10 minutes along the road so hopefully we can get a decent support across and give them something to celebrate by getting the result.”
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