Calderwood says Cup victory could be pivotal for Hibs

But the Easter Road boss warned his players they'll have to earn their victory having watched Brian Reid's players return to action with a win over Dumbarton which has fuelled their promotion hopes following six weeks without a game.

Calderwood's players face a tough schedule after the cup tie in Edinburgh as they seek to haul themselves away from the nether regions of the SPL table, games against Celtic, Hamilton, Motherwell, Rangers, Dundee United and St Mirren to follow in the space of little more than a fortnight.

The Hibs boss is, of course, conscious those matches could prove pivotal to his team's season but for the moment he's urging his players to concentrate solely on the visit of Ayr, admitting it's an opportunity to gain a much-needed win to boost confidence.

He said: "We need to get started and we hope this is an ideal opportunity. But we are going to have to be very concentrated about this fixture and make sure we get through in the first place.

"To win we need to have a very competitive mindset, the team has to be right and we'll make sure that is the case. We've got a busy league programme coming up with rearranged games, so it is important we have a good month.

"We've started it poorly but we so very nearly might have taken something from the derby. We competed very well throughout. There's a foundation there that we've got to go from. We are spirited, determined and tough enough and there are a lot of good positives from that point of view."

Calderwood admitted his visit to Somerset Park on Sunday was something of a trip down memory lane, the former Scotland defender having spent two-and-a-half years with Ayr United Boys' Club, his only connection with a Scottish club before becoming manager at Easter Road having spent his entire playing career in England.

However, it was what he saw on the pitch which caught his attention. He said: "I was impressed by what I saw. Ayr played with a nice shape and they have one or two players who look as if they can pose problems.

"They'd had six weeks without competitive action but it's a cup tie and I am sure they will be excited and motivated coming to Easter Road. They look as if they can score goals and looks as if they can play so we will have to make that apparent to our players."