Long-serving Kilmarnock midfielder Rory McKenzie admits reaching a cup final with a chance to lift silverware is a driving force at this stage of his career.

Kilmarnock host St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals on Friday evening with the victor guaranteed a trip to Hampden in the last four.

McKenzie was out on loan in 2012 and watched from the stands when the Ayrshire side lifted the League Cup, a feat he thinks the club should have come closer to repeating in the intervening years.

"I think there should be [more trophy success since] but you can never guarantee anything," the 31-year-old said.

"I think we need to look at St Johnstone [winning the League Cup and Scottish Cup], just a few years ago. We can take a lot from that. I think in the last few years, especially, luck of the draw as well comes into it a bit.

"It's almost cliche, but every manager that gets the job, they talk about that, that not many players get a chance to win trophies.

"Especially at a club like Kilmarnock, I've experienced it once, winning the Championship, but to have a cup run and get to a final and to win another trophy, a cup, would be the icing on the cake for me."

McKenzie, a Killie academy graduate who is in his testimonial season, has one solitary appearance at the national stadium.

He started in the 2-0 League Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic in January 2023, a scoreline that did little justice to the performance Kilmarnock produced on the day as they pushed the eventual trophy winners all the way.

"I've only been there once," he said. "It's probably the only thing that needs ticked off for me personally. The occasion last time against Celtic was a really enjoyable one and one that we've been close to a few times. It's never happened since, so it'd mean a lot.

"I think there have been a few occasions that we were just about there. My experience last time against Celtic, it was just so different to anything that I'd had before playing at Hampden, in front of so many people and doing really well as well.

"You can never expect to get there. I feel kind of disappointed that we haven't taken advantage of a few of the games."

Kilmarnock's Rory McKenzie dreams of Hampden return