The magic of the Scottish Cup is alive and well amongst the Montrose squad as the League One side get set for their 2021 campaign.
Mighty Mo ace Andrew Steeves says his side are “excited” by the prospect of a decent run – should they overcome League Two leaders Kelty Hearts at Links Park.
While the left-back insists he and his team-mates are focused on this weekend’s clash, he has revealed a personal ambition.
‘Dream tie’
The 27-year-old would love to conquer the Fife side, then be drawn away to Celtic.
From his time as a St Johnstone youth, then at Forfar and now at the Gable Endies, he has managed to tick every Scottish ground off his list – apart from Parkhead.
Steeves told Courier Sport: “The official party line is we keep our feet on the ground and focus on beating Kelty, as that’s the task in front of us.
“But on a personal journey of mine, I’ve played at every stadium in Scotland, apart from Celtic Park. That’s my dream to get a Scottish Cup tie there.
“But we are just really excited to hopefully progress.
“The fact that you’re in the Scottish Cup and you have the chance to progress through the rounds and hopefully get a big tie later on is motivation enough that you should be really excited to go and play in any tie.”
Tough tie ahead
In order to line up a potential tie with Ange Postecoglou’s side – or any other team – in the fourth round, Steeves is well aware of the challenge they face in runaway League Two leaders Kelty.
And despite being in the league above, he is certain his side will have their work cut out on Saturday.
“Regardless of the leagues, you just have to look at their starting 11,” he said.
“It’s filled with quality that have played at the top level in Scotland, but some players have also played down in England,” he said.
“You look at Higginbotham, Cardle, Austin, I know he’s injured but Barjonas, these players have all played at top, top levels. You just have to look at their players and understand how tough a task it’s going to be.”
Regardless of the opposition, the Montrose side is full of confidence from their league form, where they are three points off the top and are unbeaten in nine games.
“We’re very confident, regardless of any level of opposition from League One, League Two, even when we’ve face Championship teams, we’ve competed against these teams for a number of years now and been at the top level of League One.
“We are now an established top five team in League One over the last five years. We’re confident no matter who we play.”
