Dunfermline boss Jim Jefferies says his side should go out and simply enjoy the occasion when they travel to Ibrox for Friday’s Scottish Cup fifth-round tie.
Looking at the bigger picture, he was delighted to see the club drawn with Rangers after seeing off Ayr United at the second attempt in the previous round and admits he was probably more nervous about that game than the one looming in Glasgow.
Ayr earned a deserved replay in the tie at Somerset Park by holding the Pars to a 1-1 draw on November 30, but Jefferies’ men finished the job in the return at East End Park just a few days later by grinding out a 1-0 win.
By the time that replay came around, both teams knew Rangers were lying in wait for the winners, and Jefferies reckons it was an important victory in the club’s season as a whole.
“Getting that cup tie has made a big difference,” he said.
“It is not for us, it is for the club going forward, letting them plan ahead and making sure that we have a club next year.
“Let’s be honest about it, when you go on a cup run it’s about trying to bring some money into the coffers.
“Sometimes you have to balance it by saying if you get a club at home and think you could progress and get to the next stage for more money, but I think all the clubs that go in there if that doesn’t happen they are always hoping for the Old Firm.
“That’s why I was concerned about the Ayr tie in the last round. I wasn’t concerned about the opposition, I was concerned about the occasion.
“We’ve got a young team who knew how important it was to the club and I’ve got to say they handled it brilliantly. So we’ve now got Rangers in the next round and although it’s a tough tie you just never know.
“Rangers will know that and I thought we gave a good account of ourselves at Ibrox when we played them last.
“It is a tall order, we know that, but if it doesn’t go our way you’ll probably make as much money there as getting through to the quarter-final stage, so it was massive for us just to get there.”
Jefferies will be without all three of his new signings Danny Grainger, Ross Forbes and Jonathan Page for Friday’s trip to Ibrox, which will be screened on BBC Scotland, as they are all cup tied.
However, the Pars boss is delighted to have all three on board for the remainder of the league campaign.
“They are all at good ages and have good experience of playing in the Premier League and the Championship,” he added.
“Hopefully that experience will shine even more in the division that we are in.
“The experience that was lacking in the early part of the season will be helped by these boys knowing what to expect and how to handle certain situations.”
Former St Mirren and Hamilton midfielder Jon McShane has been training with the Fife club in recent weeks and, despite not putting pen to paper on a deal before the transfer window closed, could yet interest Jefferies.
The 22-year-old is a free agent and would be available to sign if the Pars boss was so minded.