Mitch Megginson reckons a run in the Scottish Cup is overdue for League One challengers Cove Rangers.
Cove made it to the round of 16 in 2017-18, where they entertained Falkirk in Inverurie and beat Nairn, Airdrieonians and Formartine on their way.
However, in the last two seasons they have been knocked out of the competition by junior side Auchinleck Talbot.
Tomorrow’s second round tie pits them against Championship side Alloa Athletic, which means ta return to their former club for Megginson and Cove manager Paul Hartley.
Megginson said: “We’re just glad it’s not a trip to Auchinleck Talbot again, who seem to be our nemesis in this cup in the last couple of years. It’s a great one for the team and a chance to give a better showing when we visited Alloa in the Betfred Cup a few years ago.
“It’s about time we try and go on a Scottish Cup run. We’ve not done it a couple of years, since we had Falkirk up at Inverurie. We’re hoping for that again but you’ve got a very tough side to overcome first and we’ll probably have to play the best we have this season to get a win.”
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Megginson reflects fondly on his two spells at Alloa. His first came when he was still at Aberdeen, as he was signed by Hartley during their stay in League One.
He returned on a permanent deal in 2016 under Jack Ross but was unable to save the club from relegation back to the third tier.
However, he did enjoy some memorable moments along the way.
Megginson said: “I had two spells there – one from Aberdeen when Hartley was manager, then the last time I joined for six months when Jack Ross was manager. Unfortunately we went down but in the time I was there, we drew with Rangers at Ibrox and beat Hibs at home.
“We had a decent team but it was too late in the day to amass enough points to stay up. It’s a family run club and they look after the players. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the club and everyone there.”
Victory over Alloa at Recreation Park would take Cove into the third round and open the draw open again for a potential trip to one of the SPFL’s bigger clubs.
Megginson said: “You want to go on a Scottish Cup run and you never know what grounds you might get to play. The ideal scenario for everyone, although fans aren’t back in yet, is to get a trip to one of the Premiership sides.
“A winnable tie at home might mean a few more goals, so I’d have to say that first. I’m lucky enough to say I’ve ticked off most of the Scottish league grounds – there’s only Partick and Annan left and I’ll get Partick in a week’s time.
“We have to beat Alloa first before I can start thinking about the next round. Hopefully we can do that on Saturday.”
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