Livingston midfielder Marvin Bartley insists there is no reason the Lions cannot punch above their weight in their quest for Scottish Cup glory, having done it in the Premiership for the last 18 months.
Bartley has fond memories of the competition after lifting the trophy with Hibs on a historic afternoon at Hampden in May 2016.
The 33-year-old is even hoping Saturday’s fourth round visit of Raith Rovers is a good omen, with the Leith side having beaten the Kirkcaldy club at this stage four years ago en route to ending 114-years of Scottish Cup despair.
Despite having the second smallest budget in the top-flight, Livingston sit proudly in fifth place and combative midfield general Bartley insists a prolonged cup run is well within the their capabilities.
He said: “I have brilliant memories of 2016 and it would be great to replicate what we had there.
“I know it’s not going to be easy but we’re in good form in the league and in the last five or six games we’ve done really well, and we’re hoping to continue that.
“We try to do our best in every game, so far it’s got us into fifth in the league and we’re halfway through the season.
“Not many teams fancy us to not only finish in the league, but to also do it in the top six.
“We’re punching well above our weight and we’re proud of our efforts for the first half of the season, but we can’t get complacent.”
Bartley, who bade an emotional farewell to Hibs last summer when he made the switch to the Tony Macaroni Arena, added: “I have been reminded that we faced Raith with Hibs at this stage and people have said it’s a lucky omen.
“We’ll take it one game at a time, they’re a good team and anything can happen in the cup.
“It’s the luck of the draw, Hearts had that last year in getting to the final but that’s all you can hope for.
“You need to take it one game at a time because if you start looking beyond the Raith game than thats when you can start making mistakes and we can’t afford to do that.”
Bartley, who was an unused substitute when Hibs beat Rangers 3-2 at Hampden in 2016, cherishes his winner’s medal from that day, even if he is not allowed to touch it.
He added: “The medal is at my mum’s house, it’s in a frame with my shirt, she won’t even let me touch it when I go round.
“It’s her prized possession, she loves it more than me.
“It was a brilliant day for my family and everyone associated with Hibernian Football Club.
“Some people may say I left a legend although some people may say something different about me.
“I really enjoyed my time there, it had been so long since they won the cup and the cup final will go down in folklore.”
