Mitchell Robertson says going into the Scottish Cup is a reminder of how big Inverness Caledonian Thistle is.
The 20-year-old, on loan from Celtic, has forced his way into the Caley Jags’ starting 11 at left back in recent weeks, meaning he is primed to take on Tranent in the cup tomorrow afternoon.
It is not that long ago that Caley Thistle found themselves in a Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, losing out to Celtic two years ago in a match Robertson was at.
Mitchell Robertson says the Scottish Cup is a reminder of how big Caley Thistle can be, given their history in the competition. Picture: Daniel Forsyth
Having jumped at the chance to move to the Highland capital on loan back in the summer, then, he says that preparing for his first match in the competition with Inverness is a reminder of why he put pen to paper.
“When I got the first text that Caley Thistle were interested, I had forgotten how big this club was,” he said.
“Everyone loves football and loves Inverness. You can see where the club wants to go and up here it’s massive.
“I’d have missed the 2015 final as I’d only have been like 10-years-old, but I usually go to semi-finals and finals with Celtic, to see the fans.
“The two clubs are similar in that everyone loves it.”
Robertson also has the chance to play a unique role for Inverness tomorrow, as he has already played at Tranent’s Foresters Park with Celtic B in the Lowland League.
He is one of the few who will know exactly what to expect in front of a sell-out crowd then, and he knows ICT will not have it all their own way in East Lothian.
“It’s a horrible place to go to, but Tranent get a good crowd and it’s a sell-out with 400 of our fans there,” Robertson reasoned.
“The pitch is not as good as ours, but they’re a tough team to play against. They are managed well, but hopefully we can get a result.
“It’s a good standard. I think when I was with Celtic, we drew 1-1 there, conceding from a set-play.
“The gaffer, Billy Mckay and Gordon (Nicolson) will have done their research on Tranent and bring it to us.
“Tranent are a good side, always quite high up in the Lowland League.
“Especially at home, they’re tough. We will go there and hopefully get the win to take us into the next round. That’s the biggest thing.”
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