Ee Aye Adio - We Won The Cup

OK, I accept, compared with the cordon bleu stuff on the menu in Cardiff, and the talented chefs serving it up, yesterday's Junior Cup Final at Rugby Park was decidedly greasy spoon, but, the players gave it their all, and the punters didn't really care.

Let's face it, if they had won with the scruffiest, jammiest own goal, after the referee had missed umpteen blatant offences in the build-up, the Afton Party Army would not have been complaining, far less admitting: “We wiz a wee bit jammy there”.

But, to win it, with THAT goal – wow. I was speaking after the game to one New Cumnock exile who has turned grey-headed in supporting Kilmarnock over half a century. Having had a great view, from almost right behind Alan Cairns, this connoisseur opined it was the best goal at Rugby Park in many a long year. Cairns's 30-yarder into the postage stamp corner would have won any game – Cristiano Ronaldo would proudly have claimed it.

 Glenafton cup-winner Alan Cairns with the trophy

Mind you, the other two goals weren't bad either, and, had Dwayne Hyslop buried that simple header which he somehow guided wide, when the Talbot were already 1-0 up, who knows, they might today be celebrating that 12^th Scottish win in Auchinleck.

Tucker Sloan, the Talbot boss, acknowledged at the end, a failure to convert chances has undone his men repeatedly this season, and did so again. But, he will sort this failing out and I would expect Talbot to again be there or thereabouts in a year's time.

But, Sunday was New Cumnock's day. The Glen took a support greater than the village's total population to Rugby Park. There were fans there from Canada, Europe and all points in the UK – as there were on the other side of the park.

Number Two grandson – a fully-paid-up member of the Afton Party Army, came in at 3am this morning, soaked to the skin, having walked the mile and a half from Loch Park in a downpour, but, boy, were he and his gang happy. The village has waited 24-years to welcome the Cup back and how they partied. Pity, however, there was no open-topped bus tour, as there had been in 1993.

Well done too, to the many Cumnockians, who lined the bridges over the Cumnock by-pass and waited at the roundabouts to cheer the Glen, the Afton Army and the cup home.

People mock and disregard the Juniors, but, when you see that sort of affection and respect – real fitba has a big future in Scotland. It's not all about two multi-millionaire organisations in Glasgow.

Finally, I liked the attitude of Glen skipper Craig Menzies, when I spoke to him post-match. He said: “Well, we've done a league and cup double, which is nice; but, a treble will be even nicer, we can still win the Evening Times Cup”. That's called ambition.

NOW, with the Junior Cup won, as was some wee continental trophy – the European Cup or something (and what about that Ronaldo – barely in the game but scores twice, he's a player) – we now turn to important matters – beating England.

I have been alive 70-years. I was 15 before Scotland beat England at Hampden – I was there, in 1962: a Davie Wilson shot and an Eric Caldow penalty, 2-0.

In 1964, big Alan Gilzean rose above Gordon Banks to head home one of the great Hampden goals, we didn't win at Hampden again until 1974, when Joe Jordan and a Colin Todd og sent us off to West Germany on a high.

 Gillie scores the winner at Hampden in 1964

We won again in 1976 – via a certain Kenny Dalglish “nutmeg” of Ray Clemence. Two years later, Steve Coppell's late goal was a portent of what would befall us in Argentina. We had to wait until 1985 for our next win, that soaring Richard Gough header rousing the Tartan Army and, we haven't beaten them at Hampden since.

So, that's five Hampden wins I have seen in my lifetime. It is well past time we won at home again. Can we? Well, you never say never, but, would I put my hard-earned money on Gordon Strachan's men winning this weekend? Not on your Nellie.

Kenny nutmegs Ray Clenence in the 1976 game

Still, I will be behind our brave boys – in fact, I might even be behind the settee. This is not by any stretch of the imagination, a good English team, but, it's closer to that ideal than our squad is to a good Scottish team.

But, it is 80-years since the European attendance record was set for the 1937 Scotland v England match, and, it's 50-years since the second Wembley Wizards, so, those would be a couple of good anniversaries to mark with a long-overdue home win against the Auld Enemy; go for it lads.