Scottish Cup-winning Caley Thistle chairman Kenny Cameron is urging Billy Dodds’ stars to go for glory this weekend and take their chance to experience celebrations like they could never imagine.
On Saturday, Inverness, who finished sixth in the Championship this season, will tackle Ange Postcoglou’s Premiership winners, who also have the League Cup in the Parkhead cabinet already this season.
Celtic will break a world record should they beat Inverness at the national stadium as no club has ever won eight domestic trebles.
For the Caley Jags, they are looking to create what would be one of the biggest Scottish Cup shocks.
However, they have beaten the Hoops three times in the last 23 years in the cup, including in 2015, when they won the semi-final 3-2 after extra-time before beating Falkirk 2-1 in the final.
Cameron: This can be their time
Cameron’s message for Dodds and his team is to do all they can to write another remarkable chapter in the club’s relatively short history.
He said: “The strap line we used for the final was “This is our Time” – and as it transpired, it was.
“Now it’s the time for Billy and his set of players to write their chapter in the short but glorious history of our amazing club.
“We wish them well on Saturday and I am sure the backing they will receive on the day will be just as passionate and vociferous as it was back in 2015.
“The current management team and squad now have their opportunity to emulate the achievements of the past and this can be their time.
“We will all be rooting for them and what a fitting tribute it would be, having lost a club legend and great friend, former kitman and groundsman, Tommy Cumming last month, if they can bring the trophy back up the A9 once again.”
Fears grew after red card and goal
Cameron, who was ICT chairman from September 2011 to May 2017, described the morning of the 2015 final as “more low-key than I anticipated, possibly a combination of nerves and the reality of the enormity of what we had achieved beginning to sink in”.
And he recalled his emotions during a rollercoaster final, which threatened to turn against them in the second half.
He said: “We started well and took the lead in the 38th minute with a well-worked goal from Marley Watkins, so things at that stage were reasonably calm.
“Then, on 75 minutes, defender Carl Tremarco was sent off for a last-man challenge on Falkirk’s Blair Alston. I began to fear the worst.
“Then followed the feeling of dread as Falkirk equalised shortly after with a header from Peter Grant.
“I really did fear that it wasn’t going to be our day, but knowing what the team had done the previous year when, down to nine men against Hearts in the League Cup semi-final, we won, I knew all was not lost here.”
Celtic CEO told Cameron cup would be Caley Thistle’s
There was, of course, one great moment to follow with a break-away winning goal from James Vincent.
Cameron said: “I must have looked pretty dejected when it was 1-1 as I recall then Celtic CEO Peter Lawell, who was sat beside me, saying: ‘Don’t worry Kenny, this is your year’.
“His words were still ringing in my ears as Marley collected the ball and strode forward and – from out of nowhere – James Vincent appeared sprinting from defence, having covered the length of the pitch, to slot home the rebound from Marley’s initial shot, and, as we know, the rest is history.”
Mishap led to drink-free bus for chief
Once the directors and staff finally made it outside of Hampden after the trophy lift, they were getting set to board their bus back home, which was a separate one from the team coach.
They had loaded it with champagne that morning, hoping they’d have reason to celebrate.
However, in what he called as a “schoolboy error”, Cameron scored an own goal.
He added: “As we prepared to leave for what was going to be a great trip home, I asked one of the stewards to move half of our drinks supply on to the players’ bus.
“Unfortunately, Ken Thomson one of my fellow directors, had also come up with the idea of getting a steward to move half of the celebratory drinks on to the players’ bus.
“Yes, you can guess what happened – our bus left Glasgow with zero beverages on board, as both stewards did as instructed and moved half to the players’ bus.
“One may wonder how or why the players were dancing on the A9 and up and down the streets of Dunkeld.
“Perhaps the very kind stewards at Hampden had contributed to the celebrations, but to be fair the players thoroughly deserved it, and despite our dry journey home, we did not grudge the boys getting both halves of the celebratory drinks.”
Scottish Cup was tucked safely in chairman Cameron’s bed!
When they finally returned to Inverness, they headed for the stadium to party with players, management team staff, families and the volunteers who had been so crucial in making all the dreams become a reality.
And the chairman went to extra length to ensure nothing happened to the famous trophy, which Inverness were holders of for a year.
He added: “I took the Scottish Cup home with me in a taxi after the celebrations at ICT stadium as I was extremely concerned for its safety (after it had been accidentally broken by a member of the press in the pre-match build-up).
“In the morning, I woke up to find it was safely tucked in at the bottom of my bed, which was just as well, as my wife pointed out that whilst I was preoccupied with the safety of the cup, I had left the front door to our house wide open.”
Fans wanted to cheer on their heroes
The morning after the night before simply extended the magical moments for everyone involved with the club.
Cameron said: “As well as the cup final day itself, what we experienced the day after, back home in Inverness, was equally magical.
“Despite the celebrations the evening prior, everyone was back at the stadium bright and early to prepare for the open-top bus trip to the Northern Meeting Park, where the band Scooty and the Skyhooks, plus thousands of fans, were waiting for the players to welcome their heroes and the Scottish Cup back to the city.
“What we had not legislated for was the fact that as soon as we entered the Longman from the A9, all the streets were packed with well-wishers from there to the meeting Park.
📅 On this day in 2015, we celebrated winning the @ScottishCup
🎤 @davidraven131 with the vocals and on the guitar! pic.twitter.com/q0MF9wEnhh
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) May 31, 2020
“There were so many were on the streets I recall somebody asking: ‘If there are that many on the streets, will there be anyone at the Meeting Park?’
“The answer was a resounding yes – once again, the Caley Thistle fans had done their club proud and turned up in their thousands at the Meeting Park to greet everyone.”
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