Sixth-round draw will be 'irrelevant' unless we get there, says Institute boss Peter Hutton
Institute boss Peter Hutton says the sixth-round draw of the Irish Cup is “irrelevant” unless his side can oust Ballinamallard United and reach that stage of the tournament.
The two teams are set to collide at Ferney Park on Tuesday night after Saturday’s original date fell foul to the weather.
The winners of the tie know they will face either Knockbreda or Loughgall away from home in the next round – but Hutton is refusing to look too far ahead.
He said: “It will be a tough game as our two previous games against Ballinamallard have ended in draws.
"So, we are expecting something similar this time around. There is very little between the two teams but we know Ballinamallard are a strong, hard-working side.
“I know the draw was made for the sixth-round but it’s irrelevant unless we get there.
"I know it’s a common cliche but we are taking it game by game as we can’t look too far ahead."
‘Stute are currently 10th in the Championship and Hutton knows the benefit of a prolonged Cup run can help improve their position.
"Winning helps gain momentum,” he added.
"Everyone loves a good run in the Cup and we are no different here...it’s just about trying to get that consistency which we haven’t really had so far this season.
"We have a young team and it’s been a learning curve for us all.”
On whether the rearrangement will have an impact, Hutton replied: “Think both clubs would have preferred to play the game on Saturday.
"The weather has affected our training preparations in the last week to 10 days but we managed to get a good session with the boys on Sunday.”