SCOTTISH CUP SEMI V HIBS

This is our second semi-final this year, and our lads let us down in the last one didn’t they? Surely the same won’t happen again? I’m not saying we’ll win – it will be a tough game, but hopefully the score will be a hell of a lot closer than that infamous day in February.

Surely it’s every footballer’s dream to play in the Cup Final? The biggest game of any season, the chance to go down in history if you win it – this has got to be motivation enough in itself to push the boys on to a battling performance.

This Saturday we will have Brebner and McInnes available for selection, and we have also, this week, installed ex-Dundee keeper Bobby Geddes as goalkeeping coach, so hopefully our rearguard will be a little harder to break down – ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES!!! (Hoof the fecker fer gawd’s sake).

Our strikers are scoring – which is a start. McIntyre and Scotland scored against Hibs, and we even notched a couple against Celtic (McIntyre again, and Robson). The problem, as someone correctly pointed out on the messageboard, is not scoring, but defending. Set pieces are causing us particular trouble, as are losing late goals. We can take heart from our goalscoring rate, but we ain’t taking any points!! Anyway, this is a cup preview, and I don’t wanna dwell on the league situation. Suffice to say that we have to start making our own luck, and finishing teams off, closing them down, and play with a bit more confidence.

So what of this Saturday? First thing I have heard is that Strathclyde Police are not allowing any coaches to drop off within a ten mile radius of Hampden, any more than two hours before kick-off. How they will enforce this I’ve no idea. It’s surely not a criminal offence to be on a coach? Seems silly to me – especially when you consider that both sets of fans are generally well behaved. We’ll see – can’t see it being a major problem.

Many people have written United off both in the league and in the cup. However, we have already put Hibs out of one cup this year so there is no reason whatsoever that it can’t happen again. We’ll have to be at our best, but as I say above – the players will be up for it – it should be a great game, and I am looking forward to it very much – I haven’t been to Hampden for a very long time, and the last Scottish Cup semi I attended was at Ibrox against Celtic – a game in which they strolled to a victory.

This Saturday will be different. We’ll be up for it, we have better players than we had then, and we have a good chance of playing in the Cup Final. Should be a great day out and I fully expect to be gravel-voiced by the end of it!