BY IAIN COLLIN – @CCP_sport
Iain Russell admits last season was a case of an opportunity missed for Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup.
And the Doonhamers striker is in no mood to suffer another feeling of regret in this year’s tournament as they prepare to face Dumbarton today.
The Dumfries outfit knocked out holders St Johnstone to reach the quarter-finals last term but lost out narrowly to Falkirk 1-0.
The Bairns then racked up a victory over Hibernian in the semi-finals to go as far as the final before losing out to Inverness Caley Thistle at Hampden.
And Russell admits there was definitely a sense of what might have been had the Palmerston Park side been able to see off Falkirk in the last-eight.
He said: “We’re looking forward to this one. We enjoyed a good cup run last year and we want to try and emulate that this year.
“The game against Falkirk in the quarter-finals was disappointing because of the way it went. It was a poor night and that was one that got away from us.
“What they did by getting to the final and also with Inverness winning the tournament just shows you what can happen.
“Last season, we put out St Johnstone, who were the holders, which was credit to us, and there’s always a wee buzz about the club when the Scottish Cup comes around. It’s a great tournament and one that you always want to do well in.”
Queens, who have been boosted with the news that former Rangers midfielder Kyle Hutton has penned a new deal to stay for the rest of the season, have already beaten Dumbarton twice in the league this term but Russell is expecting a tough tie.
He added: “The last time we played Dumbarton, back in November, we won 1-0 but they were excellent and deserved to take something from the game.
“So, we know how hard it’s going to be and they’ll take confidence from the way they played against us in that game.”
