Cove Rangers captain Mitch Megginson sees no reason why his side can’t be taking on the top guns of Scottish football on a regular basis.
The Balmoral Stadium men are battling at the top end of League One for promotion to the Championship and with aspirations of adopting a hybrid model of full and part-time players.
Their quest to scale the footballing pyramid goes on the backburner tomorrow night when they take on Rangers at Ibrox in third round of the Scottish Cup in the biggest game in the club’s history.
But Megginson hopes the game is a glimpse into the future for the ambitious Aberdeen side, who only won promotion from the Highland League two years ago.
© Darrell Benns / DCT Media
He said: “I look at cities with two clubs in it, for example Dundee where there are two big clubs, and you could argue that Aberdeen is a bigger city.
“It was begging out for a second team to emerge.
“I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but I am sure in a few years’ time, with the way that the chairman and the board want to look at the club, they want to be at the highest level possible and face the best teams in the country on a weekly basis.
“In the short term for us, it is about keeping ourselves as an established SPFL team and seeing how well we can do.
“There is going to be a lot of planning and a lot of work to get to that spot where you are playing Rangers and Celtic on a weekly basis, but I don’t think you can close the door on that. “If you want to get to the highest level, you have to be ambitious. Who knows, maybe in a few years that might be a possibility.”
Megginson, meanwhile, is unsurprised his close friend Ryan Jack has been such a big success at tomorrow’s opponents Rangers.
The pair have kept in touch since coming through the ranks together at Aberdeen.
It looks unlikely Jack will feature after recently travelling to London to visit a specialist over a troublesome knee injury.
But the Cove skipper has been impressed with the way Jack has established himself as a pivotal player at the Light Blues under Steven Gerrard.
He said: “We were together at Aberdeen from the under-9s right through to the first team and he’s still a good mate to this day.
© Donna Murray
“I had a stagger with him a few years ago, which I obviously can’t speak too much about.
“I still speak to him quite a lot, he’s a good friend and I’m looking forward to giving him a few kicks on Sunday if he is playing.
“I said to him that I hope he’s fit to play, but I don’t know what stage he’s at.
“I’m sure if he’s fit it’ll be a chance for him to get minutes under his belt. In my head, he’s going to be play, but I don’t know where he’s at in his recovery.
“I always look out for my mates who play football and I’ve watched him numerous times. He’s a key player at a top class team. To see him do so well and playing with Scotland and get them to the Euros, that’s the pinnacle of a player’s career.”
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