Falkirk's new signing Sean Lynch believes Co-operative Insurance Cup opponents Queen of the South must be treated with as much respect as any of the Bairns' Premier League rivals.
First Division Queens stand between John Hughes' outfit and a place in the quarter-finals of a competition Lynch is convinced they can win.
Despite their place at the foot of the league, the SPL side will go into the tie as favourites to progress.
However, Lynch insists the Doonhamers - who briefly tasted UEFA Cup football earlier this season after reaching the Scottish Cup final last term - are a team on a par with Falkirk's top-flight adversaries.
He said: "We just have to treat it as any other game and treat them with respect.
"They've been in Europe this year and got to the Scottish Cup final last season and were very unlucky.
"They're maybe one of the favourites to go up from the First Division this year and they've got a lot of good 'SPL players'.
"I don't think we can treat it as if we're going in against nobodies. They are as good as any other team in the SPL."
Although he was not listed amongst the substitutes on the day, Lynch was part of the Hibernian squad which ended a 16-year wait for silverware when they lifted the cup two seasons ago.
The young midfielder, who last week signed a deal with Falkirk until the summer of 2010 after being released by Hibs, rates the triumph as a career highlight so far.
And he is hoping his new club can repeat that success in the same competition this term.
He added: "Being part of the CIS Cup final squad was one of the highlights of my time at Hibs.
"Hibs are a big team and they had to wait so long for a trophy, so all the emotions of the fans came out that day.
"Hibs would love to win the Scottish Cup but at the time the CIS Cup win was as good, especially with the performance on the day.
"Although I wasn't stripped, it was brilliant to be part of that and hopefully Falkirk can replicate what Hibs did.
"It's there to be won. You only need four wins to get to the final and we've got one of those under our belts already."