Derek McInnes has revealed how important the Challenge Cup is to him on a personal level.
He captained St Johnstone to the trophy in 2007 following a 3-2 victory over Dunfermline Athletic in Dundee – and that ended up being his last full game as he was appointed as the Perth side’s manager two days later.
Now he’s hoping to get his hands on the SPFL Trust Trophy again 15 years later – this time as the Kilmarnock boss.
His side are taking on Championship rivals Raith Rovers tomorrow as the club attempts to bag the trophy for the first time.
And McInnes won’t be taking this lightly – insisting winning any cup is special.
He said: “There had been turmoil that week as Owen Coyle had taken the Burnley job. Sandy Stewart had taken the team and asked me to help him.
“We had a big support from Perth as the game was at Dens. We were 3-0 up at half-time and they came back into it but we held on.
“It was the first trophy St Johnstone had won and it was a special moment. I didn’t know then that I was going to be the next manager.
“On the bus on the way back Sandy sat next to me and told me he was going with Coyley. The next day I got a call from Stewart Duff, the managing director, and he asked me to take the team.
“Then he asked me why I wasn’t interested in taking it full-time? I hadn’t even thought about it. He told me he thought it would suit me and so did Geoff Brown and he said could I come to a meeting in Perth with Geoff.
“I got to the Broxden Roundabout and I heard on the radio that St Johnstone were announcing their next manager at 9am the following morning.
“I hadn’t even spoken to Geoff and they were getting ready to announce it! We didn’t even have an interview it was just a chat and he said I was perfect for the job.
“Winning this cup felt special. It was a big effort from everybody and we went on to win the league the following year which was massive. It gave us confidence. To win any cup is special.
“I’ve won the Premier League, the Scottish Cup, League Cup, Championship, Second Division – the only thing I’ve not won is the bottom division. They can keep that one!”
McInnes insists the league title is still the main focus but admits it would be a nice distraction worrying about a cup final.
He said: “It’s hard to say anything different than the league is the priority.
“When you reach the semi-final everyone wants to win it. It’s important to try and do that.
“We will give some boys some game time but it shouldn’t be mistaken for not wanting to win the game. We want to get the club to the final. The priority is the league but we want to be successful in this cup too.”
The Rugby Park gaffer won’t be taking Raith lightly but also says this clash is a good chance to try out players who haven’t had as many minutes as they’d like.
He added: “It’s well documented we have a big squad. While we are not as strong in some areas as we would like to be, we have a couple of injuries at the minute, we have a good level of player to come in.
“It’s an opportunity for these boys to stake a claim for the rest of the season. We are going to have to rely on everybody as some point.
“We beat Raith last week but up until that point we’d not beaten them this season. They are a good side and will want to win the cup.
“Anything short of our best and we will end up with a belt in the mouth so we have to make sure we are on it, the motivation is to go and win it.”
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
