Nicky Devlin wants Aberdeen FC shock hunters left miffed as Ian McCall gratitude debt met with Scottish Cup response

Nicky Devlin owes a debt of gratitude to Clyde boss Ian McCall but the Aberdeen star has warned he won’t be repaying it in Friday night’s Scottish Cup clash.

The Bully Wee boss helped give the full-back’s career a helping hand after Devlin had been released by Motherwell and moved on to Stenhousemuir. The veteran boss was at Ayr at the time and not only took a chance on the youngster but also gave him the captain’s armband in a move that really sparked Devlin’s career, as he then moved to Walsall, Livingston before arriving at Pittodrie in the summer.

The Dons will travel to Hamilton looking to take care of McCall’s League Two strugglers and to avoid the sort of embarrassment that came in the tournament, when Jim Goodwin’s side crashed out to non-league Darvel. Devlin said: “He made me captain at Ayr when I was 20. I have a lot of respect for him. He was great for my career and pushed me on a bit more.

“I don’t think many managers would have made me captain when I was so young. We had two and a half years together, which were great. I was there six months before Ian arrived We got relegated from the Championship but then we won promotion in his first full season.

“To be captain of a team that wins promotion when you’re 20 was brilliant. He was fantastic for me and looked out for me. I know I owe him a lot.”

Devlin knows the fourth round of the Scottish Cup brings a real buzz. The big guns enter the competition and hope to take their first steps on the way to Hampden, while the smaller teams look for the big prize monies and even bigger scalps.

The 30-year-old added: “At every level, when you play in the Scottish Cup, from the amateurs all the way up there is that extra buzz.

“I get that and the fans get the same buzz.