THEY were, in a peculiar way, one that perhaps only Scottish football could throw up, the poacher and the gamekeeper.

But in this instance, the gamekeeper's primary task was to keep a tight rein on the poacher.

In separate stints with both Livingstone and Hibernian James McPake would spend matchdays keeping a close watch on opposition strikers and the rest of the time keeping a closer watch on one of his own - Leigh Griffiths.

This morning the tables will be again turned when the pair lock horns with a place in the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-finals on the line. McPake is now in the blue of Dundee and his task today is to keep the closest watch possible on Griffith's, currently in one of those hot streaks where everything he touches turns to goals.

Rewarding manager Ronnie Deila's faith in him at Hampden Park last week, the Celtic frontman took just ten minutes to grab the opener that sent his side to the most comfortable Old Firm win in recent memory. He pitches up at Dens Park a man in form, something his old pal is keenly aware of.

"I am delighted to see him get in the Celtic team and prove how good he is," McPake said. I think he can now establish himself as the main striker at what is a massive football club. Whether he plays against us remains to be seen but if he does it will be my job to stop him.

"I will maybe have a wee word in his ear every now and again. I am that used to trying to keep him out of trouble but I can't do that - I will need to leave him be. I will look forward to facing him because in all the time I have known him we have only played against each other for just over a half at Dens earleir in the season - and we both left the park with a goal that day.

"Leigh has a competitive streak and has been like that since he was 16. He is a fiery character in a good way. Looking back over they years all he got was criticised by certain people but now people are sticking up for him and we are seeing a good side of Leigh that has always been there.

"Some never wanted to give him the chance to prove it but now he is at Celtic and he has knuckled down and shown what a player he is.

It will be a battle because whoever is playing against us - Leigh or whoever - it will be a test for me and the rest of the lads at the back."

McPake is on his own personal mission to savour some cup success having endured his fair share of heartache in the past few seasons. The 30-year-old missed missed the 2013 Scottish Cup final for Hibs against Celtic with a back injury. And, in 2012, he was on the receiving end of Hibs' humiliating 5-1 defeat by bitter rivals Hearts, despite scoring to make it 2-1 to give the Hibees some hope, before the roof caved in big-time.

"I don't know what was more unlucky - the final I made or the one I missed because of injury!" he said. "I can't even remember that goal (against Hearts), how did it go again? Seriously, for as bad as that day was I would still say missing the final against Celtic because of injury was the lowest point of my career.

"I had the chance to lead the team out at Hampden and make amends for the previous year but I didn't get that opportunity. Now I am at a different club but we have the same aim that we had at Hibs - to get to the cup final. Obviously, we could have had an easier draw than Celtic.

"However, when you win a tie as we did against Aberdeen you are just thankful to be in the draw no matter who you get.

"To wins cups you have to beat the best teams in the country and in our case that would mean knocking out Aberdeen and then Celtic."

Paul Hartley's Dundee are on a roll with a six-game unbeaten run under their belts and McPake knows they need to take that fine form into their tie with the Hoops if they're to reach the last eight of the competition.

McPake said: "We can take confidence from being six games unbeaten and we have had a decent season. On the two occasions we have played Celtic they have been good games, pretty close matches.

"We drew here and then lost 2-1 at Parkhead but we were unlucky that day because there was an offside goal and a couple of great chances for us.

"That's not to say this one will resemble those previous matches but we can take some encouragement from how we have played against Celtic.

"We will need to be at our best - and then a wee bit more - to get anything off of them.

"Celtic might think this is a tricky tie, though, because they will remember the two games we had against them. We have put out Aberdeen, the team most people who had had as their second favourites to win the Scottish Cup. Now we face the favourites by a country mile in the next round.

"You have to just play the match in front of you, whether it's against Spartans or Celtic. There is no pressure on us and we would love to be in the hat when the draw is made."