Raith Rovers boss Grant Murray says he always had faith the Kirkcaldy club could cause a Scottish Cup upset, despite his side’s poor league form heading into the weekend’s tie.
Championship Rovers had not scored in five games prior to their fifth round clash away to Premiership Hibs, but defied the odds to send Terry Butcher’s team crashing out of the competition.
However, Murray reckons Saturday’s 3-2 win at Easter Road was something his Rovers team were always capable of.
“We’ve had similar performances this season and it was a similar performance up at Dundee which got us through the previous round, which was a difficult game,” he said.
“So we knew we were capable of it, it was just having that belief that you could go somewhere like Easter Road and do it against a very good side.
“To go away from home to a place like Easter Road and score three goals, I think you’d be disappointed if you lost the game put it that way. But it was a typical Scottish Cup tie.
“There was a fantastic crowd from our point of view and to get that backing at Easter Road was tremendous you saw it at the end of the game and it was superb.
“I think we would have been disappointed if we had kept going ahead in the game and then lost out, because of the effort we put in.”
Goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw took many plaudits for his performance in Edinburgh on Saturday with some crucial saves at potentially pivotal moments, although Murray was pleased with the way every player handled the occasion.
“It would be difficult to single anyone out on Saturday I thought there were great performances all over the pitch,” Murray continued.
“Ross did fantastic, especially the second half, because Hibs did fling a lot at us which we dealt with. But we dealt with it as a team.
“Looking on it, Fraser Mullen has got to get a lot of credit as well going on, ex-Hibs, and going on in such a game.
“It’s difficult going on in games of football, especially the first half because the tempo of the game has been set.
“I think Callum Booth has got to take a lot of credit as well because there was probably a lot going through his mind in the lead-up to the game and what had been in the papers and in the press.
“He dealt with it well, stayed away from everything like that, and put in a great performance. But as I say, it’s difficult to single anyone out because it was a fantastic all-round squad performance.”
Saturday’s victory saw them enter the quarter-final draw where they were paired with St Johnstone at Stark’s Park, and both clubs very much view the tie as a great opportunity to reach the last four.
If Rovers were to win when the teams meet in March, they would book their second Scottish Cup semi-final in the space of four years.
Murray, though, is just content to see his team through.
“I think when you get to this stage it’s difficult to say it’s a good draw or it’s a bad draw,” he said.
“The previous two rounds we’ve come through were difficult ties, away from home, and we were underdogs in both games, but we’ve come through them.
“We’re just happy to be in the competition and when you are first out of the hat and at home you’re delighted.”