EX-HIBERNIAN striker Ruari Paton will come up against his former Easter Road team-mates this weekend in the Scottish Cup.

The Stranraer star spent three years with the Hibees after moving from Dublin to East Lothian as a teenager.

Now, he is hoping to line up at Stair Park in the cup clash, which is being screened live on the BBC on Sunday.

Paton acknowledged that his side, who knocked out Hearts’ conquerors Brora Rangers in the last round, were going into the tie as underdogs.

He told Courier Sport: “It would be a monumental achievement to win.

“For me personally, it would be fantastic to get to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup and an amazing achievement.

“Anything can happen on the day.

“It is football and there have been crazy results throughout history.

“We are major underdogs going in but it is 11 versus 11 on a match day and things happen.

“It would be an amazing achievement and it would really, really be a top result and up there with the best things I have been a part of.

“For the club, it would see us get a lot of exposure.

“It would be a massive result for a club like ours to beat a Premiership team.”

The contest will see Paton, who attended Ross High School in Tranent as well as training at the Hibs Training Centre, just outside Ormiston, come up against a number of former team-mates.

The 20-year-old is still in touch with stars such as Scotland under-21 defender Ryan Porteus, goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski and Jamie Gullan, who is on loan at Raith Rovers, but friendships will be put aside for the chance to progress in the cup.

Paton, who lived off Tranent’s Waterloo Road, told Courier Sport that although his time with the Edinburgh side had not worked out, it had “shaped me in a way”.

He said: “There were some hard truths that I had to face.

“I went there thinking I was the man and had it all sorted out and would go to the first team.

“It did not work out that way and life comes around and hits you in the face.

“But the players I met were people that I am very, very fond of.”

The fact that the contest for a place in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals is on television also gives Paton’s family the chance to see him play.

Coronavirus restrictions have ensured that all bar one of Stranraer’s games this season have taken place behind closed doors.

Stair Park will once again be empty this weekend, with Paton’s mum and dad, Finola and Robert, unable to attend.

The former East Kilbride and Gala Fairydean Rovers frontman, who scored against Stenhousemuir on Thursday evening, said: “My dad would have been over every second week on the ferry.

“They have both been gutted at not being able to come over this season.

“They love to come to the games and my mum and dad are my biggest supporters.”