Ross County midfielder Jackson Irvine paid for his family to fly from Australia for Sunday’s League Cup final and was determined to make sure it was a trip to remember.
The Australia international, pictured, was immense from start to finish as the Staggies defeated Hibernian to earn a first piece of major silverware with a 2-1 victory thanks to Dutch forward Alex Schalk’s late winner.
Irvine, awarded the sponsor’s man of the match, was delighted his family was present to make the occasion even more special.
He said: “I had just about everyone here. My mum Danielle, dad Steve and sister Maxi were over from Australia.
“I sort of made them do it. Especially my dad – he will be 60 next week and it was my present to him to be here for the game.
“He is Scottish. He is from Aberdeen and moved out to Australia in 1977 – that is my Scottish connection and I really wanted to share this with them.
“Plus I had aunties, uncles, cousins, friends and family friends. I think I had about 22 people there watching me.
“So to be able to share that with them – in particular my mum, dad and sister – was special. They flew back to Melbourne on Monday so I’m just glad I didn’t send them home disappointed.”
Irvine, who turned 23 earlier this month, joined the Staggies on a permanent basis in the summer after leaving Celtic following three years at the Parkhead club.
The midfielder, who was on loan at County last season, was determined to prove he could handle life after Celtic.
He said: “It has been spoken about quite a bit this season – probably more than when I was there. That’s just the way it goes – I’ve always been forward-looking.
“Last year I had a tough loan spell here, coming to a club that was bottom of the league, but we put on an amazing run to stay up and this season it was all about progress.
“I wanted to come to a club where I felt I could push forward, and we’ve been a top-six club all season. We’ve now got a massive game on Wednesday night against St Johnstone to cement that top-six position. I came here to progress and to look forward and to have days like Sunday.”
After County’s win, both the Scottish Cup and League Cup now rest in the Highlands following Caley Thistle’s Scottish Cup final win against Falkirk last May.
Irvine said Caley Thistle’s cup win provided the Staggies with the belief they could do the same.
He added: “I think we took a bit of inspiration from seeing what they achieved last year – they beat Celtic in the semi-final as well and showed any club can go on to win the trophy.
“We had a little parade thing in Dingwall on Saturday before travelling down to Glasgow and, just driving through, we could see how much it meant to the town. It means a lot to a small community and we are just out there to do our best for them. I think, especially for the chairman and for people who come from that part of the world, it is a massive achievement.”