Renfrew boss Jimmy Quigley was so nervous ahead of his club’s historic shootout cup win he couldn’t bear to watch a single penalty getting taken.
But when the dugout and fans erupted around him as Craig Dallas slotted home the crucial winner, he knew his talented side had made history once again.
More than 20 years since the New Western Park side last lifted a trophy, Quigley’s men went into Friday night’s Strathclyde Demolition Cup final as narrow underdogs against struggling First Division side Whitletts Victoria.
With Renfrew currently leading Division Two, they had form on their side and raced into the lead when Dominic Innes fired his side in front after just eight minutes.
The Ayrshire side rallied well though, levelling through Kris Brown’s close-range effort as the teams went into half-time level with the tie delicately poised.
But when Whitletts’ Jason Walker saw red early in the second half after picking up a second yellow card for a blatant dive, the odds quickly swung in Renfrew’s favour.
Despite their numerical advantage ‘Frew couldn’t find a decider in normal time, with the final heading to a nerve-wracking shootout to decide who would take the trophy home with them.
Renfrew keeper Danny McLeay stood up tall to crucially save Whitletts’ first effort from the spot.
And that paved the way for Quigley’s side to storm their way to the trophy, not missing a single effort with Dallas’ cool final shot sealing the historic result and sparking mass celebrations on the New Tinto Park pitch.
Delighted Quigley told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “Our last cup win was the Scottish Junior Cup in 2001, which was also on penalties. It’s fair to say we like to do things the hard way at Renfrew! I’m buzzing for our boys. We dug it out and the sending off just after half-time definitely gave us all a boost. It was a blatant dive and totally needless when the boy was already on a yellow card.
“When we got to penalties I didn’t watch any of them. I just told the boys to be confident and brave, pick their side and don’t deviate from it.
“I was just in the dugout trying to think of what I would say to them if it all went wrong, because losing a cup final on penalties is just devastating.
“Danny saved their first effort which was a massive moment. That gave everyone else confidence and then Dallas slotted the decider to wrap it up. I can watch them all back now because I know we got the right result! I’m so proud of the players and I told them to soak it up and enjoy every moment because you never know, this could be the only cup final they ever play in and win because they’re so rare.
“There was a massive crowd from Renfrew and the place was absolutely buzzing. It’s certainly a night we’ll all remember for many years to come.”
The historic victory also saw Renfrew bag a place in the round robin against the East and South cup winners for a chance to compete in the senior Scottish Cup next season.
Before then it’s back to the day job for the New Western Park side, with Quigley urging his side to focus on completing what could be a historic double this year.
He added: “The celebrations were understandably pretty heavy and I’ve no doubt a few of the boys will be being sick at training this week.
“But it’s straight back to league business for us now. We’ve got Maryhill in the league on Saturday and then three away games in a row after that in February.
“This will be a season-defining month for us and the chance to go and do the double this season is a big incentive for everyone at the club.
“The boys have had a taste of success now and hopefully that alone will drive them on.”
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