THE League Cup final triumph over Celtic which Kenny Shiels masterminded when he was Kilmarnock manager in 2012 was totally unexpected and highly improbable.
But it was no one-off.
The Northern Irishman arguably topped the achievement last year when he led his country’s women’s team through to the Euro 2022 finals in England; he certainly described it afterwards as “the best ever in UK sport”.
His son Dean, who played for him in that famous cup win and was also his assistant during a remarkable qualifying campaign, does not disagree with the assessment. “It was practically a miracle,” he said.
Many in Scottish football suspect the Rugby Park club will need divine intervention to repeat their David and Goliath giant-killing act against the Parkhead behemoths in the semi-final of the Viaplay-sponsored competition in Mount Florida this evening.
Shiels Jnr, who has enjoyed some noteworthy successes of his own since following his old man into management last year and taking charge of part-time Irish League outfit Dungannon Swifts, appreciates from personal experience that major upsets do happen.
He thinks lightning can strike twice if Derek McInnes’s men take a positive approach.
Nobody gave Kilmarnock a prayer 11 years ago. They had only beaten lower league Queen of the South, East Fife and Ayr United to reach the final. Their opponents, meanwhile, were enjoying a hot streak of form, had a large lead in the top flight and were bidding to complete the first leg of a potential treble.
However, they went on the offensive and were rewarded for their adventure. A headed goal from substitute Dieter Van Tornhout with six minutes of regulation time remaining secured a narrow but richly-deserved 1-0 win.
“We had been written off,” said Shiels. “Celtic had won 24 and drawn three of their previous 27 games. But within the Kilmarnock changing room we were convinced we were going to win. It was strange because we were big underdogs, but we had so much self-belief.
“I can remember the week leading up to the game, the training, the analysis, the preparation that went into it. Every small detail was covered. When we were standing in the tunnel waiting the self-belief was brimming out of us. We couldn’t wait to get out there.
“We had beaten Rangers twice that season and had zero fear of playing Celtic. My dad’s attitude to the game was ‘this is a cup final so we’ll go and take the ball off them and play’. And that is exactly what we did.”
Shiels continued: “I remember the game really well too. Mo Sissoko played in Gary Hooper in the first minute and Cammy Bell made a great save. After that, we settled down. We passed around Celtic quite easily to be honest with you.
“They had Fraser Forster, they had Victor Wanyama, they had Scott Brown, they had Charlie Mulgrew. They had a lot of good players. But we took the ball off them and we kept the ball off them. We looked to attack and penetrate whenever we could.
“It was a fantastic day for Kilmarnock. It was one of the biggest shocks in a long time. But it was a one-off cup final and we played with no fear. I think that is the direction that the current side should go down this weekend.”
Shiels knows his old Northern Ireland team mate Kyle Lafferty, the 6ft 4in striker who is available for selection again after completing the 10 match SFA ban he received back in October, will be keen to make a major impact at Hampden tonight and give the Kilmarnock supporters another result to celebrate.
“He will be licking his lips for this one,” he said. “He thrives on the big occasion, Kyle. He has always done well for his country when it has really mattered. He has got the attributes to cause Celtic problems for sure. He has missed a lot of football and he will be eager to get going again. He will be a big asset for Kilmarnock.”
Shiels certainly was during their League Cup-winning campaign. His extra-time goal against Ayr in the semi-final earned him cult hero status. But the midfielder’s sparkling form attracted widespread interest. He departed for Rangers, who had just suffered their catastrophic financial implosion and been consigned to the old Third Division, in July.
His time at Ibrox was to prove eventful. He suffered a cruciate ligament injury towards the end of his first season and spent a year on the sidelines. When he regained full fitness, there was division in the boardroom and unrest in the stands. But he looks back on his four years in Govan with great affection.
“It was full of highs and lows,” he said. “When I came back from my injury the club had no stability. The make-up of the board and the chief executive kept changing. Then the manager kept changing. We had Ally McCoist, Kenny McDowall, Stuart McCall, Mark Warburton.
“Ally, who signed me, had it especially hard. There was a lot going on upstairs and he tried to protect the players from that. I have no doubt at all that he had a lot of hurdles to overcome during his time as manager.
“It seemed like every time we had a dinner there was a different chief executive giving a speech about how he wanted to take the club back to where it belonged. Then he would be off and somebody else would come in and say exactly the same thing. I lost count of how many there were. It was just a mess really. There was a lot of drama, put it that way.
“But it was a privilege to play for Rangers and I have fond memories of it despite everything that went on. I have no regrets. I was proud to play for the club. I played 120 odd games and cherished every one. It was tough at times, for the fans as well, but I learned a lot during that period.”
Shiels is drawing on all of the experiences, both good and bad, which he had during his 15 year playing career now that he has taken over at Dungannon. Competing with full-time clubs like Crusaders, Glentoran, Larne and Linfield is no easy task. But coming ninth last term was a more than respectable finish.
The 37-year-old is appreciative the opportunity which he has been given at Stangmore Park and is enjoying tackling the challenges which he faces on a daily basis. He has completed his UEFA Pro-Licence and hopes to work at professional level in Scotland or England at some point in the future.
“Coaching is in my blood, in my DNA,” he said. “It is something I am passionate about. I thoroughly enjoy being on the grass coaching and developing players. I want to give something back to football. I got so much out of the game myself. It is a way of me staying in the game and helping other players.
“Dungannon are one of the smallest clubs in the league. We have the lowest budget and wage bill. Many of the teams are full-time and we are part-time. It is about surviving for us. But it is a good chance for me. It will stand me in good stead. It gives me the chance to improve my skillset.
“We had an exceptional season last season. We doubled our points tally and the number of goals scored. It was massive for the club. We really over-achieved.”
Shiels has learned from a few exceptional managers. He cites Tony Mowbray – who supported him when he had an operation to remove his right eye, which he had been blind in since he was eight following a domestic accident, during his spell at Hibernian – Sean O’Driscoll and Michael O’Neill as the best. “You take bits and pieces from everyone,” he said.
There can be no doubting who his biggest influence has been. He has relished working by his father’s side with the Northern Ireland women’s team during the past three-and-a-half years and has loved seeing the remarkable rise to prominence they have enjoyed at close quarters.
“Before my dad came in the side couldn’t buy a victory,” he said. “They had hardly won a competitive game in five years. But they won four and drew two of their eight qualifiers, finished runners-up in their section and then won both of their play-off matches.
“They used to play in front of two men and a dog. It was only really friends and family who turned up. A lot of people in the country didn’t even know that a women’s team existed. But they sold out Windsor Park last year. Women’s football here has been completely transformed.”
Dean Shiels will tune in to the Viaplay Cup semi-final between his Kilmarnock and Celtic this evening willing his old club to prevail and knowing that anything is possible.
