Dylan Stuart celebrated as a fan the last time Turriff United won a trophy.
And as they try to reach their first final in a decade, the defender says it would be a dream come true to win silverware with his hometown team.
Turra take on Fraserburgh at the Haughs on Wednesday night in the semi-final of the Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield.
United last won a trophy when they lifted the Shield in April 2015, and as a child, Stuart watched from the sidelines as they rallied from 3-1 down to defeat the Broch 4-3 in the final.
Since then Turriff haven’t reached another cup final and have lost in the semis on seven occasions.
Stuart’s fond memories
Stuart, 22, is desperate to end that run, and said: “I was at the club’s last final and it’s a great memory.
“Turriff were 3-1 down and Nikolas Wozniak came on and scored two, including an overhead kick which was the winner.
“I was there with a few of my pals and we were all going mental.
“I watched Turriff regularly growing up and have some great memories.
“That Shield final and the Scottish Cup game against Morton when I was the mascot are two great memories that stand out from when I was growing up.
“Ever since I joined Turriff, it’s always been my goal to win a trophy with the club, and if it was to happen it would be a dream come true to win something with my local club.
“It’s a massive game for the club – if we could pull off a result and get through it would be a huge thing for us.
“For everyone connected with the club, it would be great if we could have a bit of success.
“I know how much work the committee put in and to reward them by getting to a final and potentially winning a trophy would be brilliant.
“Eddie Morrison’s one of our committee members and his business sponsors the Shield so we all know how happy Eddie would be if we could win it.
“It’s people like Eddie and all the committee at the club that you want to try to win things for.
“It’s been a long wait for the club to get back to a final and there have been some painful defeats along the way.
“Hopefully our luck in semi-finals changes this time and we get into a final.”
Watt seeks silver lining
Fraserburgh have lifted eight trophies in the last 10 years, but midfielder Logan Watt is eager to deliver silverware again this term.
However, the 21-year-old says the Broch need a fast start after finding themselves two goals down in the first quarter of an hour against Formartine United on Saturday.
Watt added: “The expectation every year at Fraserburgh is to win trophies.
“This is a big game for the club. We’ll need to be at it to get into the final and hopefully we can play well.
“We were disappointed on Saturday against Formartine (2-1 loss). We started slow, but I felt we got better as the game went on.
“We can’t start slow against Turriff – or we’ll make it very hard for ourselves to get through – we need to be at it from minute one.”
On a personal level, Watt is aiming to continue his recent good form in cup competitions having netted three goals in his last two appearances in knockout fixtures.
He said: “I’ve found a bit of form in the last few games, I haven’t scored as many goals as I’d have liked this season (six).
“But the last few games have been good. Hopefully I can get on the scoresheet again, but the main thing is that we get through.
“I’ll try to contribute as much as I can, but it’s about the team, and if we can get through, we’ll be delighted.”
Turriff captain Callan Gray is a doubt, while Glen Donald is cup-tied, as is Fraserburgh’s Fraser Mackie.
Adams wants final say as Watson looks to spring a surprise
Scott Adams is motivated to help Formartine United to success in the Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield, while boss Steve Watson is aiming to deliver arguably the greatest result in Hermes’ history.
The Breedon Highland League outfit clash with Junior opposition on Wednesday night at North Lodge Park in the semi-final of the Shield.
Attacker Adams was part of the Buckie Thistle squad who won the Highland League title last season, and after joining Formartine this term, he is determined to deliver more glory.
The 28-year-old, who started and scored against Fraserburgh on Saturday, said: “It’s a huge game for the club.
“It’s been a wee while since Formartine has won anything, but it would be a good end to the season for us if we could get to a final and potentially win a trophy.
“We’ve got a strong squad and if we could do it this season then it would be great and would set us up for the future.
“I won the league with Buckie last season, which was great – and it motivates you to win more.
“Coming to Formartine this season, I was hoping we could have success and hopefully we can do that in the Shield.”
Shock troops try to do it again
To get to this stage, Hermes won a remarkable quarter-final tie against Buckie Thistle.
In a match played in strong winds at Lochside Park, the Aberdeen outfit trailed the Jags 4-0, but came back to triumph 5-4.
This is only the fourth season Hermes have played in the Aberdeenshire competitions, and prior to their clash with Buckie, they hadn’t won a game in the Shield.
Watson believes if his charges can reach the final it would rank alongside anything in the club’s history.
He added: “Anything can happen in cup football.
“We saw two shocks in the Scottish Cup and FA Cup on Sunday – with Queen’s Park beating Rangers and Plymouth beating Liverpool – so hopefully these things come in threes and we can be the third shock.
“Even though it’s a different level, I think you can take encouragement from shocks like we saw at the weekend.
“We’re going to need an even better performance than we had against Buckie to get past Formartine.
“If we could get through to the final of an Aberdeenshire competition it might go down as Hermes’ greatest result.
“With the teams that are in this competition to reach a final would be a tremendous achievement.
“It will take a lifetime best from us to get through, but if anyone can do it, it’s the group of boys we’ve got at Hermes.”
Conversation