St Johnstone captain Dave Mackay has insisted the Perth side haven’t lost their Scottish Cup hunger.
Andy Murray admitted that he struggled to re-motivate himself after he made history with his Wimbledon triumph, and countless other sportsmen and teams have succumbed to the “this is as good as it gets” mentality.
That won’t apply to the Perth men, according to skipper Mackay though, as they are just as determined to retain the cup as they were to win it for the first time in the club’s history.
“I don’t think having won it once makes you sit back and rest on it,” the experienced defender pointed out.
“Far from it.
“The feeling here is that we’ve had a taste of it and we’d like to do it again.
“That’s what you play football for, you want success as often as you can get it.”
Mackay will forever be known as the first Saints player to get his hands on a Scottish Cup, but he won’t allow himself to bask in nostalgia until he has hung his boots up.
“I haven’t thought about being the first St Johnstone captain to lift a cup,” the former Dundee and Livingston man said. “hat’s maybe something I’ll think about when I’m finished.
“But right now I want to have another crack at it because I won’t have too many attempts left.
“The cup final was the highlight of my career, it was the first silverware I’ve won as a professional.
“The day flew in so it’s hard to pick out specific memories.
“I wasn’t emotional as such but when you see your family coming down and the kids coming onto the pitch then it hits home.
“It’s something you dream about for years and see other players doing.
“I’d seen other players similar to myself and other clubs like ours do it, so you do get to a stage where you don’t think it’s going to happen.
“I was 32, turning 33, and you do think your chance has maybe gone.
“So it was great to finally do it and I want to do it again now.”
Normally, nobody outwith Perthshire would be paying much attention to a St Johnstone Scottish Cup tie this early in the competition, but, as holders, Mackay knows full well that if Ross County knocked them out at McDiarmid Park on Saturday it wouldn’t go unnoticed.
He admitted: “It’s going to be difficult because we’re a scalp and the pressure is on us.
“Last year we were under the radar to a large extent, but this season everyone will want to knock out the holders.
“That’s what Ross County will think coming here.”
Mackay added: “It’s strange having played them on Saturday there and although we won that one it showed we’re going to have to play very well to get through.
“County put us under a lot of pressure in the second half, Alan Mannus had saves to make and we had to grind it out.
“So this weekend will be a tough match as well, especially with it being a cup match because they’ll come here looking to win.
“In the league you might settle for a point but that’s not an option, both County and ourselves will have a go.
“It will be a break from the league for them and they’ll see it as a chance to give their season a lift.”
Nobody would suggest that it has been a good start to the season for Saints, but it is a fast-improving one.
Mackay observed: “We have not played as well as we did last season and everyone will agree that we’ve not hit top form.
“But we’re just three points off the top six and have not been anywhere near what we can play like.
“It has been a tough start to the season but we’re still in a decent position in the league without playing well, so hopefully we’ll kick on from here.”