Craig Samson has been Jim Goodwin’s eyes and ears ahead of Aberdeen’s Scottish Cup tie against Darvel.
The Dons goalkeeper coach is originally from the small village situated in East Ayrshire. Living in the local area, the former Kilmarnock No.1 knows the West of Scotland Football League side very well.
It’s perhaps fitting that he’s on hand to try help the Pittodrie club navigate their way through what will be a tricky fourth round tie on Monday night in front of the TV cameras.
There are five divisions separating the teams. Put simply, Aberdeen and Darvel are worlds apart.
While Aberdeen’s knowledge of the Ayrshire side may have been extremely limited until the draw was made in November, Goodwin insists they have received as much information as possible about Mick Kennedy’s team.
He said: “Darvel are a very good junior team. They’re flying high in their own league, they’re scoring plenty of goals. They’ve got players who are ex-pros and have played at a good level.
“We know that there’s a good facility down there. We’re led to believe they’ve got a very good grass park, which is great. Normally at that level you tend to be involved with not so good surfaces.
“We’re really looking forward to it. It’s a place that I’ve never been personally and I don’t think any of the players or coaching staff have either, apart from Craig Samson. They’re his local club.
“It should make for a great cup tie and hopefully we can get the result that we desperately need.
“Sammy has seen plenty of them and I’ve got pals of mine who are involved in the juniors. They’ve been very kind to give us some tips on what to expect.
“Regardless of the opposition, of course on paper we’re massive favourites, we’ll never underestimate them. We’ll treat Darvel with the upmost respect.
“We’re preparing for a very tough game. It’s as simple as that. We’re not expecting to go down there and for it to be a stroll in the park. We have to work hard and earn the right to win the game, to be in the hat for the next round.
“Darvel have got nothing to lose. I’ve been there as a manager with Alloa. When you get the big draw in the cup and you’re the underdogs, there’s not pressure or level of expectation. I’m pretty sure that will be the mindset of the Darvel staff and players.
“The onus is on us as the Premiership team to go there and put on a show and hopefully try to win the game as convincingly as possible.”
While one cup journey ended last weekend, Monday signals the start of another.
It may seem a million miles away from the glitz and glamour of a day out at Hampden, Goodwin says that his players are desperate to take part in another showpiece game at the national stadium.
He said: “The players have got a taste for Hampden at the weekend with getting to the semi-finals of the League Cup. They’re determined to try and get back there. That’s all the incentive you need really as a player.
“We might need to make one or two changes. Obviously we’ve had a busy schedule. There might be an opportunity there for a few of the guys who have been waiting patiently in the wings to go and show what they can do.
“Our players will be under no illusions as to how tricky and tough this game will be. They’ll know exactly what to expect come kick-off.
“Every game is important, every game has its own significance. I think the Darvel game is massive because it’s the Scottish Cup. It’s the big cup competition in Scotland so it’s the one we want to go far in.
“We want to go on a similar run to the League Cup, but this time we want to go that one step further.
“Winning games brings confidence. We want to go there and keep a clean sheet, especially off the back of Wednesday night’s result. We want to go there and be ruthless in both boxes. Keep the ball out at one end and be clinical at the other.”
