Inverness Caley Thistle head coach Scott Kellacher says Scottish Cup windfall would be ‘massive’ for club’s future ahead of third round clash with Cove Rangers
Scott Kellacher would never measure Caley Thistle’s great Scottish Cup love affair in terms of hard cash.
But the Caley Thistle head coach is well aware that a “massive” windfall could await the administration-hit club if they beat Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
Kellacher, as a veteran of the joyous Hampden Park scenes of 2015, prefers the romance of the cup to talk of prize money, but is also a realist.
Winning tomorrow’s third round clash on the outskirts of Aberdeen would guarantee a modest rise in prize money – doubling income by an estimated £10,000 for reaching the fourth round.
According to last season’s figures, also securing a live televised fourth round clash could land the club a further £24,000 or more.
But were Kellacher’s men to pull Celtic or Rangers away from the fourth round hat, the riches would almost certainly soar into six figures.
Last January, Buckie Thistle’s share of gate money and other income from landing a trip to Celtic Park generated close to £300,000 despite the Glasgow ground being just two-thirds full.
Kellacher acknowledged: “Given our current circumstances, it would be ideal to give ourselves the chance of landing one of the big guns. That’s what we’re looking to do.
“We’ll turn up at Cove with a winning mentality, but we know how hard a game it will be.
“Paul Hartley has them going really well and we’ll have to be at our best, like we were last time down there.
“A fourth round tie and a bit of good luck in the draw could make a massive difference to the club’s future, but we’ve got to focus on Saturday.
“We know what’s at stake – and Cove will be saying the same.
“If we can win, we’re hoping for a big tie where we can bring in a good bit of money to really help the club.”
Only three weeks ago, ICT kick-started their recovery with a league win at Cove, with goals from Adam Mackinnon and Keith Bray overturning an early Mitch Megginson strike.
A brilliant penalty save from keeper Musa Dibaga was the catalyst for the comeback.
Kellacher stressed: “It is a very hard thing to do, playing the same team twice in a few weeks, but the boys have been great – we’ve had a really good week’s training.
“I watched the last Cove game back and we actually had a lot more of the ball than I thought. “Despite good moments for Cove, we had a good foothold in the game and came good in the end.
“We’re working with the boys to improve how we start matches and we’ll be positive throughout the game.
“Personally, the Scottish Cup means more than ever. I’ve experienced great highs and we have a real love affair with it as a club, some incredible memories.
“It is important we try to keep that going and create some more.”
Jake Davidson (knee) and Keith Bray (shoulder) remain out, while loanee Charlie Reilly also remains a few weeks away from returning.
