It is hard to determine just what is the most surprising thing, that Albion Rovers have a director of football or that the club have a link to Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano.

But through David Caldwell they have both, with the former professional footballer the man who is charged with steering the strategic vision of the club.

It is a sign of the ambition and professionalism at Cliftonhill that they have such a structure in place as they look to realise their long-term aims. The boost to their bank balance from this Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie with Celtic will aid Caldwell in that mission.

But it is the chance to make sporting history that motivates everyone at Rovers from the boardroom to the boot room, and Caldwell in particular is desperate to add to his own family collection of impressive sporting memorabilia.

“My dad played for Aberdeen and he got a league championship in 1955 and played in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup against Celtic and ended up with a runners-up medal,” Caldwell said.

“I was brought up in Canada briefly where my dad played with Stanley Matthews and played against Puskas and Di Stefano. We’ve still got the programme and that will be worth a few quid.

“I think it was the first time that Stanley Matthews and Danny Blanchflower had played against Puskas and Di Stefano. It would be nice to add the programme from this weekend to the collection.”

Caldwell himself is no stranger to pulling off a cup upset in his own playing career that took him from the Highlands to Belgium via Mansfield, Torquay and Chesterfield. It was while in England that he enjoyed his own moments as David slaying Goliath.

“I got to the fifth round of the FA Cup a couple of times,” he said. “Torquay was a sort of Roy of the Rovers story, because we played Bristol City and I scored the winner in the 83rd minute, then we got Coventry, who were the holders, in the next round.

“Cyril Regis scored a couple of goals and they ended up getting Liverpool in the next round. We also beat West Ham 1-0 once and progressed through.

“I started at Inverness in the Highland League and then I went to Mansfield. Billy Bingham was the manager and then I went to Belgium and South Africa before finishing back at Inverness Caley with Sergei Baltacha.

“That was when the merger with Caley Thistle took place, so I played with Charlie Christie and players like that. Charlie knows a thing or two about upsetting Celtic with ‘Super Caley Go Ballistic’ and all that.

“The cup is brilliant, the league is sort of like your day job, and the cup is where you have the glamour ties.”

It may be churlish to suggest that there are those within the Rovers corridors of power who are quietly hoping for a draw rather than a win to secure a replay at Celtic Park and the further riches that would bring.

But Caldwell would certainly not be too upset, shall we say, were that to be the outcome.

“If you put footballers out there they will be looking to win, but if they get a draw it would be great too,” he admitted.

“Players don’t think about that. If they have a chance in the last minute they are either going to score or miss, they aren’t going to think ‘hang on a minute, windfall!’

“What will be will be. The most important thing is that we approach it professionally and enjoy it, because there has been a lot of hard work in the background to make sure that the day goes well.”