Injured St Johnstone striker Steven MacLean has told his Perth team-mates – “make sure we’re still in the Scottish Cup when I get back”.
As was the case this time last year, MacLean is ruled out of Saints’ cup opener.
And, as was the case this time last year, he’s left Tommy Wright’s men in no doubt that he expects a fifth round tie to be waiting for him on his return.
Midfielder Chris Millar confirmed: “Macca has said to us that we have to make sure we’re in the Cup for his return.
“That’s our target. We want to retain it and it would be good if he can play a part.
“I think his cup final goal summed up for me the whole team performance. Macca wanted it more than their keeper. It was a 50-50 ball but Macca made it his own.
“That sums him up as a person and us as a team.
“As soon as it hit the net I felt we’d won it.
“Macca is such an important player and I think this season we’ve missed him. Now it feels as if we’ve turned the corner but we still want him back.
“He’s a great influence on the dressing-room and played such a big part in that cup final win.”
MacLean’s return in the New Year will be a big filip for the Saints squad, but Millar believes that the last few weeks have proved that the etam can still thrive without him.
He explained: “If you take Mayso and Macca’s goals out our team and their influence on the team then it’s tough.
“We missed Macca’s leadership during that rough spell and we had a few others out injured too.
“But we have bodies back now, and Brian Graham has come in and done well since he joined us.
“We look a bit more settled and Faddy’s come in and I thought he was looking really good against Ross County last week.
“I think we’re just a win away from being top six again and when you hit the Christmas period you really wants to go on a run again.
“From it not looking very good, we’re suddenly feeling as if things are on the up.”
Millar will never tire of talking about Saints’ cup final win.
“Without a doubt it was the best day of my career,” he said.
“As a kid you want to grow up and win the Scottish Cup and we did it.
“It was brilliant for us, the fans, the manager and our families.
“It was always something you thought might pass you by. As a player you want to win things and we always felt that the cup was achieveable.
“Then you hit the age of 30 and 31 and it hasn’t gone your way and you’ve had disappointments in semi-finals and in the League Cup. You do wonder if it will happen.
“That makes it sweeter and you can savour it.
“If we can get to a final and win it again it would be great.”
Millar has his winners’ medal on display at his Greenock home, but his cup final suit hasn’t received the same tender loving care.
“My wife made a collage in a frame all to do with the cup final,” he said. “She included articles from the build up, the final programme and then the medal hangs in the middle.
“She surprised me with that over the summer and that was great.
“The cup final suit is not framed though it’s still hanging in the house somewhere and it’s not been cleaned since that weekend so it’ll be in some nick.
“Hopefully if we get to another final then I can dig it out and get it dry cleaned!”
Millar can see the positives and negatives in the fourth round draw, which paired them with Ross County.
He said: “We could have had an easier one, but after this round I think seven of the top teams will be out because of the way the draw worked so a lot of teams will fancy their chances.
“It’s a good chance for Saints or any other team to get to a final.
“We played them last week so they’ll have a good idea about us and we know about them. County enjoyed a bit of pressure in the second half last week, but we started the game really well and we want to do that again.
“Going into the cup we want to defend it. We want the success we enjoyed last year. We’re the champions and we want to win it and keep it.”