SAME trophy at stake, same venue, same opponents. Richie Hart doesn't admit to being superstitious, but the omens would seem to favour Ross County's midfielder this weekend.
Almost five years to the day, Hart formed part of the Inverness Caledonian Thistle team who defeated Airdrie United 2-0 to lift the Challenge Cup. It was part, of course, of an historic double for the Highland outfit given their subsequent First Di
vision success.
Hart now represents the team from across the Kessock Bridge and will return to McDiarmid Park – the scene of that 2003 triumph – tomorrow. Airdrie, of course, are again the opposition as the 30-year-old seeks another winners' medal in the re-named Alba Challenge Cup.
"Some players go through their entire careers without getting to a single final so it is obviously a great honour to reach another one," Hart said. "It would be great to win it again, it is a privilege to win any trophy, it is for days like Sunday that you become involved in football."
Hart's other significance is that he is expected to be the only native Ross-shire member of the County team tomorrow. Stuart Golabek, Mark McCulloch and Steven Watt complete the former Inverness contingent. Goalkeeper Tony Bullock, like Hart, is amid his second spell at Victoria Park.
"It would mean so much to be because I am a local boy, of course it would," added Hart. "But we have a good mix in this squad, a lot of boys with different things to prove.
"There are youngsters here who are destined for bigger things – the club's youth policy has spoken for itself in the last few years – some experienced ones such as myself and others who have been at top clubs and want to get back there. There is plenty motivation."
Steven Hislop and David Bingham supplied the goals five years ago – County subsequently lifted the Challenge Cup, in 2006, before being relegated – and Hart remains reluctant to draw too many comparisons to his present side.
"We had a lot of guys in that Inverness team who had been over the course, Bingham, Paul Ritchie, Bobby Mann, Barry Wilson," he explained. "And we went on to win the league, I'm not saying County will do that this season but we are gradually finding our feet back in the First Division this season. That is our main priority but I know well from Inverness that lifting a cup gives your season a boost, a real lift, and can kick-start your season."
In keeping with coincidence, County's last outing was also in Perth, yet Derek Adams's outfit lost 2-1 to St Johnstone last Saturday. Two league outings against Airdrie United have resulted in a win apiece. "We are evenly matched, I don't think there is any doubt about that," Hart said. "And there probably isn't much we don't know about each other having played twice already. But this final has been something we have looked forward to for a while now, it shouldn't be like a normal league game."
Adams' hitherto most high-profile experience of cup football was as part of the Motherwell team who lost 4-3 to Rangers in a Scottish Cup semi-final. He also played for County as they defeated Clyde on penalty kicks to claim the Challenge Cup in 2006.
"We have centre halves who can score goals, we have players throughout the team and on the bench who can score," said a confident County manager. "You need a squad like that in the modern day – 2006 was a great occasion and the first piece of silverware the club had won as a Scottish League side. Hopefully, come Sunday, we can do the same again."
Like Hart, the Airdrie manager Kenny Black insists First Division survival is paramount in this campaign. Yet Black has at least a little bit of history on his mind; Airdrie have not won the Challenge Cup in their current guise; they did secure it three times when known as Airdrieonians, most recently in 2002.
"This is a little bonus for us but I think I will be happier when we get back to league business," said Black, whose team lie one point and one place above the First Division's drop zone. "We have a cup final on Sunday but we have so many cup finals between now and the end of the season."
Black has the luxury of a full squad to choose from after Bobby Donnelly recovered from injury. A crowd of about 5,000 is expected for the match, which will be broadcast live on BBC Alba.
The full article contains 782 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
