Gordon Rae has seen almost everything in his professional football career. As Hibs captain in the 1980s, he grew accustomed to troubling the Old Firm, then won promotion to the Premier League with Partick Thistle.

Since retiring as a player, he has managed Gala Fairydean, East Fife and worked with Hibs' youth system. One might expect him to be blase about his job as assistant to Jim Sinnet at Linlithgow Rose, the junior club who face Queen of the South today, but Rae is in love with life at the grassroots.

Rose's Scottish Cup heroics might have earned criticism in some quarters - Steven Tosh, the Queen of the South player, said it was a "disgrace" that they were allowed in the competition - but Rae believes such comments betray the poverty of imagination which has prevented Scotland from making progress towards a pyramid structure.

"If Steve Tosh has a problem with us being in the Scottish Cup, why didn't he voice these concerns when the rules were changed in the summer of 2006? It wasn't as if we were handed an easy passage to the tournament, because we had to win either the East of Scotland Superleague or the Junior Cup and we did both in 2007, so I don't have much patience with people who question our right to be where we are," says Rae, who owns a cleaning business in Bonnyrigg.

"Perhaps, somewhere down deep in his consciousness, there is this little voice, nagging away: Jeez, this would be a nightmare if we got beaten by a junior side'.

"I don't think it will happen, because Queens are a good team with a good manager and they have home advantage. But there are plenty of proud boys in our dressing room, lads who are blessed with ability and a passion to do their community proud and they know we have a bit of a bandwagon rolling, so they are all desperate to keep making history.

"If we have something to hang on to by that stage, then Steve Tosh's nightmare might just come true."

As well as the Queens game, Linlithgow are preparing for a tussle with Cumnock next weekend in the Scottish Junior Cup.

"I still believe that the match against the Ayrshiremen is the bigger game, because we have ambitions to retain that trophy and we can, whereas nobody here genuinely thinks that we can go all the way in the senior competition," added Rae. "Yet, if I've learned anything from being at Linlithgow, it is never to underestimate the level of support which we enjoy around the community.

"I suppose it boils down to the fact that this Scottish Cup adventure is fantastic, and we hope it continues as long as possible, but we know where our bread and butter is. That's being sensible, isn't it? And if we can instil a wee bit of romance, where's the harm?"

Rae confesses to harbouring ambitions to coach at a higher level in the future, and remarks that he would "love" to return to Hibernian.

"I wish Mixu Paatelainen all the best, but I was sorry to see the departure of John Collins and I reckon there comes a time when you have to speculate to accumulate, but the Hibs board doesn't seem to agree," he said.

"Whatever happens, the board have to play the game and give the new manager some funds.

"But who knows, if we get past Queens, we might draw Hibs in the next round. That would be sweet!"

n Queen of the South goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald is desperate to keep best mate and neighbour Robbie Feeney at bay today.

MacDonald is on loan from Hearts, where he and Feeney were youth team prospects. "Robbie is my best pal and we are both really looking forward to the game and going up against each other," he said. "We have known each other since we were five years old and still live across the road from each other."