Hamilton Accies' reward for Kelty cup win can be a big draw in the next round, says boss

dailyrecord.co.uk:

John Rankin says Hamilton Accies’ reward for beating Kelty Hearts on Saturday could be a bigger draw in the next round of the Scottish Cup.The New Douglas Park gaffer means no disrespect to his League One opponents, but reckons both sides would have preferred a team from a different division in the third-round draw.Hamilton last season beat East Kilbride and Ross County before being knocked out by a strong Hearts side, and Rankin hopes they can emulate or progress further this time around.Rankin said: “It’s against a team in our league, so that becomes the bit where you’re looking for something a bit different – we’ll play Kelty five times this season.“It’s not a problem to play Kelty five times, but for both teams I think you’d like something different.“By the end of the season we’ll know each other inside-out and that becomes a different challenge.“We’ve played them already, it was a really difficult game, and we play them again in a couple of weeks.“I watched them on Saturday, they’re a good side, [boss] Michael Tidser has them playing good football as well, so it’s a different competition so we’re looking forward to it.“We had a decent run in the Scottish Cup last season and we ended up getting a decent tie against Hearts, so that’s something we would love to be able to do again, to get a full house at home.“Kelty are a difficult opponent, it will be a tough game, but we’re trying to emphasise that if we get through this round with a bit of luck you can get a big team, or show how much potential players have, and it’s an opportunity for our players.“That’s the incentive to try and get through a tough game on Saturday.”Rankin added: “Saturday will take care of itself, and the Scottish Cup is always the competition