Caley Thistle midfielder Aaron Doran is a man on a mission as he tries to force his way into manager John Hughes’ Scottish Cup final starting 11.
The Irishman played the role of substitute in last year’s League Cup final defeat by Aberdeen and, as his Inverness prepare for their Hampden appearance against Falkirk on May 30, the midfielder is desperate to avoid a similar fate.
He said: “The League Cup final was the only game where I was on the bench last season, so to make the team for the biggest cup game in Scottish football would be fantastic. It would mean everything to get a start and we’re all pushing to get in the team.
“It was good to get a start as well as I didn’t see that coming but I was happy with what I contributed in the game and with what I’ve done in the game time I’ve been given this season. All I can do is keep trying to perform at my best when given the chance.
“I was downhearted after the St Johnstone game as I scored and then dropped out of the team but I’ve kept my head up, started again in this game and hopefully I can stay there for the cup final.
“There is a buzz around the city as the supporters get ready for the cup final and we all want to be part of it.”
Doran did his cause no harm with an impressive display for Inverness as they ended their Scottish Premiership home campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win against Dundee United.
Former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Doran was pleased to see his team-mates share in the goals against the Tangerines, who now trail St Johnstone in the race for fourth place heading into the final weekend of games, and believes his club is gathering momentum ahead of the final.
He said: “It was a really good performance. We wanted to give the supporters a good last home game and it was a great result for us as we turn our attention towards the Scottish Cup final.
“Big Eddie (Ofere) has carried the burden of scoring in the last few games, so it was nice to see the goals being shared out among the team and to get a couple from set-pieces gives us another threat.
“There is fluency about us and I hope we can keep it going for the next couple of games. We go to training with a smile on our faces every day and we just have to keep it going.”