David Gormley insists he won’t do a John Terry if Kilwinning Rangers win the West of Scotland League Cup this weekend.
Saturday’s final against Hurlford United – the last hurrah of a long season – will mark Gormley’s first game in charge as Buffs boss.
The 34-year-old hadn’t expected to be in the dugout this side of the summer but will now have the opportunity to get his reign off to a dream start.
However don’t expect to see him in the thick of the celebrations if Kilwinning manage to get the better of Darren Henderson’s men.
The former Broomhill manager is wary of 'gatecrashing' any potential party – à la Chelsea legend Terry in the 2012 Champions League final – having played no part in Buffs’ journey thus far. Terry was famously lampooned after lifting the trophy in full kit despite being banned for the final.
“The original plan was to leave the final to Mark Campbell and my coaches because they had taken the team in the last couple of rounds,” said Gormley.
“I just felt staying in the background was the right thing to do, I didn’t want to be at the front like John Terry if we managed to win it!
“In the last week though, the club asked me step in and I’m ready to grab the chance with both hands.
“I’ve only had a couple of training sessions with the lads but we will be ready come Saturday.
“I’m a winner through and through and I’ll be doing my doing my damnedest to win the cup.
“Any celebrations, I’ll leave to the players though!”
Gormley is expecting the toughest of afternoons at Townhead Park against a Hurlford side who have battled their way to the final with a squad down to the barest of bones.
Kilwinning aren’t exactly blessed with a bulging player pool themselves with Gormley expecting a squad of 14 to be fit for the final. Defender Aldin El-Zubaid is unavailable.
But he insists selection problems will count for very little anyway once the whistle sounds at 2pm.
He said: “It’s a cup final at the end of the day and there will be a decent crowd. That should give any team fire in the belly to go and get the job done.
“I watched Hurlford beat Pollok in the semi-finals on Saturday with just 12 fit players but they were bang at it.
“They showed how much they wanted to get to the final. I’m not looking too hard at either team having selection problems.
“We will have 14 players but I’m happy with that. We’ve been in worse positions this season.
“For me it will be about who turns up on the day. I’ll be doing my preparations as if Hurlford are going to be at full strength.
“It’s a cup final and an opportunity to win silverware and we have to do all we can to be ready. The end goal is to win the trophy.
“We won’t make massive changes but it’s important we get the mindset right.”
Gormley is a big admirer of wily campaigner Henderson and his side and reckons they have real quality all over the park.
He added: “They’ve got the likes of Chris Robertson at the back who I played against and know just how tough a competitor he is. He is a guy with plenty of experience and a real desire to win.
“There’s also the experience of Chris McKnight and guys like Marc McKenzie and Jack Whittaker who pose a threat. Up front they’re really dangerous too.”
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