Brian Easton hopes Hamilton Accies can make a fast start in their Scottish Cup third round tie with East Kilbride and "squash" any belief they might have of replicating Auchinleck Talbot's shock win at the same stage last season.
The Accies skipper was left stunned when West of Scotland League Premier outfit sent his side packing with a 1-0 win at Beechwood Park, almost exactly a year to the day of this weekend's fixture.
And he is determined to make sure lightning doesn't strike twice when Lowland League Kilby come calling, with Kevin Rutkiewicz's side potentially sniffing blood given Accies are bottom of the Scottish Championship and on a run of one win in 11 games.
He said: "The Talbot game is probably the perfect example for us to use to warn the boys. If we go into this game thinking it is going to be a stroll in the park, it's not going to be the case.
"When I look back at that game, they were right up for it and looked to take the scalp.
"We kept giving Talbot wee bits of encouragement where they would press us and work hard, but we'd make a sloppy pass and reward them for their work.
"That boosted them and kept them going for the whole game.
"It ended up being a really difficult day for us and we got knocked out of the cup, so we want to make sure that doesn't happen.
"If we go about it in a professional way, hopefully we can squash that [belief] early doors and give a really good performance.
"We need to concentrate on getting into the next round of the cup because that is what it is all about.
"The boys want to get a cup run going but we are under no illusions that we will just turn up and stroll it.
"East Kilbride will be right up for it. We know they have got good players and being a Lowland League team coming up to play here, we need to make sure we do things professionally and get the win.
"If we manage to do that, it can give us a wee springboard to go back to the league with."
Among the East Kilbride ranks are four former Accies men.
Ronan Hughes, Kyle Munro, Jonathan Page and Dylan McDonald all now ply their trade in the fifth tier and Easton, who won the cup with St Johnstone in 2014, expects them to raise their game.
He added: "I'm sure it will spur them on and they will be raring to go.
"It's an indication of the quality that East Kilbride have in their team so it's not going to be an easy game.
"That is something we need to manage because these boys are going to be right up for it."
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