Darren Jackson is confident Dundee United can focus fully on football when they face Inverness Caley Thistle in their William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final.
The first-team coach found himself and his club caught up in a storm of controversy the last time the Tangerines played a cup tie in the Highland capital.
It was back on October 29 in the last eight of the League Cup when United winger Gary Mackay-Steven was sent flying by a Richie Foran challenge near the dugouts.
What followed was a good, old-fashioned rammy that ended with United striker Nadir Ciftci being red-carded, a punishment that was subsequently reduced to a booking.
Ciftci was also ciited for “seizing” assistant referee Gavin Harris by the throat, a charge that was later amended to using an “open hand” to grab the match official.
United were adamant their player was innocent and strongly fought his case.
However, Ciftci was still given a two-game ban, one of which was held over till the end of the season. The involvement of Harris in the matter was why the Tangerines were dismayed and surprised to learn this week that he had been appointed to run the line for the forthcoming fixture at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium between the sides.
There is no suggestion from anyone at United that Harris’s professional integrity will be questioned but surely the wiser option would have been to give the role to another linesman.
Jackson was also cited by the SFA after “Ciftcigate” and eventually censured, but neither fined nor banned, for “leaving the technical area in the absence of special circumstances and by acting in an aggressive manner towards players of the opposing team”.
In the aftermath, it was claimed by Ross Draper, the scorer of ICT’s winner in the last minute of extra-time, that the home team had been more “streetwise” than United.
That may or may not have been the case but Jackson is backing the Tangerines to shrug off any controversy or rough stuff and play their way into the semi-finals on Sunday.
When it was put to him, tongue in cheek, that it was a nice quiet affair last time around, Jackson replied: “Yeah, of course it was.
“To be honest, it was something over nothing really. It shouldn’t have happened and it was disappointing the way we went out of the League Cup.
“Hopefully, we can make up for that.”
Asked if he thought the physical approach of the home team that night meant they were, as Draper claimed, more streetwise than Jackie McNamara’s men, Jackson responded: “I think they used that term but our boys are streetwise when it comes to playing football.
“You have to look after yourselves and make sure you are not getting bullied.
“But going there and playing well that’s what our boys want to do.”
United are confident going into the Sunday lunchtime fixture after beating Hibernian at Easter Road last Friday, whereas ICT are licking their wounds after being hammered 5-0 by Celtic the following day.
Jackson is not sure that will matter though.
“There is a contrast between the clubs’ last results but it is a cup tie so that should not be a factor,” he said.
“It will be a hard game up there as they are a tough side but we go into every game confident. Yes, we went on a wee run there when we weren’t winning but we always believed.
“The atmosphere never really changed at the club. We knew that if we kept going then the results would come for us.”
Youngsters Ryan Gauld and John Souttar will again be missing when the Tangerines travel north. Souttar has an achilles problem and midfielder Gauld has tightness in his lower back.
United boss Jackie McNamara said: “It’s just coming too soon for them so they won’t be involved on Sunday.”
There is also a doubt over Curtis Good after his debut for Australia was cut short by a hip injury. He lasted 68 minutes for the Socceroos in their 4-3 defeat against Ecuador at Millwall before being replaced.