GORDON YOUNG reckons Cove Rangers will reap the rewards of their cup clash with Hibernian on and off the park after missing out on the full Ibrox experience last term.
The League One outfit will aim to cause one of the shocks of the fourth round when they make the trip to Easter Road – a fixture that will be screened live on the BBC – next Thursday night.
Cove suffered a 4-0 defeat to Rangers in the Scottish Cup back in April as Steven Gerrard’s side eased to victory thanks to a Kemar Roofe brace and strikes from Jermain Defoe and Nathan Patterson.
Paul Hartley’s side now have another chance to test themselves against Premiership opposition and assistant Young is relishing the chance to meet a Hibs outfit that are now under the guidance of former Celtic and Scotland star Shaun Maloney.
“The players deserve this opportunity because they went to an empty Ibrox last year in this competition,” Young, speaking to promote his book ‘Licence to Skill’, said.
“An empty house didn’t reward the club financially and it didn’t help the players professionally.
“It’s a great game to look forward to. The run we are on at the moment is terrific and this is the next challenge for the players.
“The run since losing back in October has been exaggerated even more because during that time we haven’t been able to pick the same team twice due to injury or illness.
“Paul knows Shaun Maloney well from his time with Celtic and Scotland and we will watch Hibs play on Monday night.
“It’s about the players enjoying the experience and anything we get from the game will be a bonus. Although we played Rangers at an empty Ibrox I think the players took a lot from it.
“We were up against international players and we came up against the team that would become the champions.
“After a ropey first half, when it was a heavyweight against a lightweight, I thought we covered ourselves in glory when we readapted our style of play. Drawing the second half 0-0 was a massive boost for them.”
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