Barry Ferguson fires Celtic warning as Alloa boss scoffs at Scottish Cup cliche to roar 'we want an upset'

In an increasingly uncertain world it’s a comfort to know there are still some things that can be taken for granted.

As sure as day follows night, Barry Ferguson wants to get one over on Celtic.

“I’m not one for saying, ‘We just want to enjoy the occasion’. Forget that! We’re going to try to cause an upset. But it’s going to be a right hard shift and I’m well aware of that,” growls a familiar voice from down the other end of the phone.

It’s been a while since the former captain of Rangers and Scotland was under this kind of spotlight. But Ferguson’s feisty, combative edge has not been blunted by seven years spent learning his trade as a manager, getting his hands dirty in the lower reaches of the professional game.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Ferguson says with the hint of a smile as he wrestles with the absurdity of this unexpected shot at glory, “I forgot what it was like to have people phoning and texting looking for tickets. I’ve not had that for a while!”.

A David v Goliath fourth round Scottish Cup reunion with the one team he used to enjoy trading blows with more than any other during his highly decorated playing days. The very thought has got all the old juices flowing again.

It’s just that, this time, the odds are stacked against him like never before.

Six months into the job of managing Alloa in the third tier, this tie has probably come along a lot sooner than Ferguson would have fancied. Not that he’d allow himself to admit it of course.

Having spent two years laying the foundations for Kelty Hearts to hit the SPFL running in League Two, Ferguson moved to the Indodrill in the summer to begin a similar project a couple of levels up the ladder. It’s taking more time than he had hoped.

His side is currently lurching