Alex Gogic knows the disappointment of losing a cup final all too well. That’s why the versatile battler is desperate to help his Buddies fight all the way to the Scottish Cup final at Hampden this season - and go one step further to lift the trophy.
Gogic was an unused substitute back in December 2021 when Hibs were narrowly beaten to the League Cup trophy by Celtic.
After watching glumly on as the delighted Hoops celebrated their 2-1 victory, the 28-year-old is determined to experience a sweeter finish with the Saints after they edged past Dundee on Saturday and into the hat for the last-16.
The Paisley side couldn't have landed a much tougher draw last night, with St Mirren set to travel to Glasgow to take on Celtic on the weekend of Saturday, February 11.
Gogic told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “Dundee are a good side with good players, they made it frustrating for us but we got through in the end.
“I thought I’d scored with my chance but it was saved on the line. I tried to smash it off his hand but it just didn’t want to go in!
“We want to go on a good run and we made the first step. I made the League Cup final with Hibs before, that’s the closest I’ve come.
“It’s not nice to lose in the final, I can tell you that. I don’t want to experience that again so hopefully we can go one better this time around.”
Gogic and his St Mirren teammates owed a huge debt of gratitude to their number one Trevor Carson for making it through to the next round.
After saving their bacon with a couple of superb saves in normal time, the keeper came up trumps in the penalty shootout - making three stops before Greg Kiltie fired in the eventual decider.
Gogic admits it’s a massive boost to the Buddies’ backline to have an experienced keeper capable of turning in huge performances when it matters most.
Gogic said: “It wasn’t a pretty game. We didn’t create many chances but thankfully Trevor saved us.
“Three saves in the shoot-out was amazing and got us into the next round.
“He actually lets the younger guys face the penalties in training, but he showed how good he is at them anyway.
“It matters so much when you trust your goalkeeper. You know he’s going to save us when we need him, not just in this game but in every game. He’s so good.”
Gogic also wished Dundee defender Tyler French a speedy recovery after the pair’s collision saw the visiting player leave the pitch on a stretcher with a suspected broken leg.
Gogic added: “It was weird because I just took the ball and he clamped my shin.
“I heard something snap and thought hopefully it was his shin pad. But I guess it might be bad news.
“I went for a ball and so he did but he was a bit late and hit my shin.
“I wish him a quick recovery and hope everything goes well for him. You never want to see injuries like that.”
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