Three years old when the merger that ripped the Inverness football community apart took place Nick Ross has spent his entire life living with the consequences so his analysis of the impact of his club's successes this season bodes well for its future.

The 24-year-old is obviously deeply aware of the bitterness that was generated by the amalgamation of the Thistle and Caledonian clubs in order to create a club that could compete in the senior leagues.

For all that it remains sufficiently fresh in the memory of older generations that there are those who will not countenance attending Tulloch Caledonian Stadium to this day, to Ross and his peers it is ancient history.

"The split in the past is still a big thing and you still get the diehards who mention it and won't come to our games. It is still in their minds," he acknowledges.

"However Inverness now have a breed and generation of younger fans and soon enough that may be forgotten about.

"The diehards still tell us on sponsors' nights out about the history of the merger and it is surprising that after 21 years that it is still fresh in some people's memories.

"It would be great if one day soon it will all be forgotten about. None of my friends have ever been against the merger as they are all behind me and Inverness Caledonian Thistle."

To that end the signs in the build-up to this week's Scottish Cup final have been hugely encouraging.

"The support in the city has been unbelievable," says Ross.

"There have been supporters queuing for tickets outside the stadium and I have never seen that in my time here. That is different.

"All the shops in the town are getting right behind us and there has definitely been a sea change with the run to the cup final. Home crowds are going up and that is a good sign that we are doing something right.

"I hope reaching the Scottish Cup final can unify the city of Inverness.

"If we were to win the Scottish Cup when we are also in Europe then people will start taking notice of us and hopefully they will just forget about the past and focus on Inverness Caledonian Thistle as a team."

Clearly Ross believes that the time has come to look beyond the sort of clannishness that has blighted the development of Highland football and his vision of that goes beyond city boundaries.

"Inverness and Ross County have flown the flag for football in the Highlands in Scotland. We have redrawn the football map in this country," he reckons.

"Ross County staying in the Premiership is a great thing for us too as it is important to still have the derbies in this area.

"There are a lot of good players playing up here and nobody really takes notice of that as everything is focused in and around the central belt. The fact that we are doing so well is great."

Certainly a squad drawn from every corner of the British Isles has given the Highland capital a new level of footballing credibility and Ross is proud that his home city has proven so welcoming to his team-mates.

"It is so far away from everywhere and you don't get the attention than being in Glasgow when people will always come up to you," he said.

"Inverness is away from everything and it is just quiet. It is a good place to live and we all stay very close to each other.

"The team spirit up here is something that keeps us going."

Just how far that can take them remains to be seen but they may never have a better chance of bringing silverware to the city than this weekend as Ross accepts.

"We hope it is not a one off as we know it is not going to be easy in the next few years because Hearts are back in the top flight and they might be rejoined by Rangers," he said.

"It will be hard to repeat what we have done this season but we don't want it to be a one-season wonder."

Whether or not they can maintain this level of performance, however, this is their chance to establish a very special place for themselves in the history of their club.

Indeed, since his own first clear memory of watching his team play is the 2003 Scottish Cup win over Celtic rather than the more famous one when the team from Glasgow was reputedly atrocious while then second tier Inverness was given cause to go ballistic, Ross is eager to play a part in creating an occasion that will give his generation something even better to tell their grandchildren about.

"Everybody remembers that game even people in different countries know about that cup win against Celtic and that headline," he says.

"If we won the Scottish Cup, that would overtake it... it could be a once in a lifetime thing."