HARD ACT TO FOLLOW
Kirk: Well’s 1991 Cup winners were tough and talented – current crop must match that to repeat the feat
MOTHERWELL Scottish Cup hero Stevie Kirk reckons their legendary 1991 triumph was forged in Ravenscraig steel.
Now he says the current crop must toughen up if they hope to repeat the feat 28 years on.
Well begin their Scottish Cup campaign this weekend at home to Ross County seeking to begin another road to Hampden having finished runners-up last season.
Record-breaking Celtic denied them in the Final by completing their historic Double Treble with a 2-0 cruise – dashing Kirk’s hopes of having fresh company in Fir Park folklore.
But to go one better this season the 56-year-old – who scored the winner in extra time of that 4-3 thriller against Dundee United almost three decades ago – reckons they’ll need to find a harder edge than the performances in the first half of this campaign.
Kirk said: “I was thinking about this the other day (what Well had then that’s missing now). The defenders who played in the Final – Jim Griffin, Luc Nijholt, Chris McCart, Craig Paterson, Tom Boyd – they’d boot you as soon as look at you. They didn’t let you play.
“Then in the middle, when Colin O’Neill played, Ian Angus was our silent assassin, he went about his job but could put his boot in. Then there was the flair of Davie Cooper on one side and Bobby Russell on the other and the box-to-box running ability of Phil O’Donnell.
“Up front Iain Ferguson and Dougie Arnott never gave defenders a minute’s peace.
“You need a certain level of fitness and Phil, God rest him, was one of the fittest guys I ever
“When you have two up front you need two midfielders who go box to box. We had that – but this team doesn’t. It’s a hard thing to instil. It’s hard to coach. saw on a football pitch. He ran box to box for 90 minutes.
“Coop was different, you gave him the ball and he gave you it back when he was finished. He’d set you up with a chance.
“It might have been the only chance but the guys up front, Ferguson, Arnott or myself, were capable of taking that and hopefully win us a game.
“Of course we also had a good goalkeeper in Ian Maxwell.
“When a team get to the Final you have to think it’s 50-50. Unfortunately for Motherwell last year they came up against the best side Scottish football’s seen for a long time.
“It takes a different breed, a different character, to go out there at 3pm and come in at the
I’ll never get tired of talking about that final .. not a day goes by I don’t think about it STEVE KIRK
back of 5pm with the trophy. And I don’t think they’ve had that blend or desire.
“I feel sorry for guys like Las (Keith Lasley) and Hammy (Steven Hammell) who’ve been here a long time.
“They might not have the winner’s medal to show for their time but I consider them Motherwell legends just like our team of ’91.
“Between them they’ve made more than 1000 appearances for the club and it’s a shame the team couldn’t get a trophy to reflect that service.
“The first final I saw them in was the League Cup Final against Rangers in 2005 (a 5-1 defeat) then there was the 2011 Scottish Cup Final (a 3-0 loss to Celtic) and then there were the two finals last year.
“You’d think the odds would be they might make it in one of those games but you have to perform – you can’t be dazzled.
“Even when Faddy (James McFadden) was there they had a good side but didn’t have the steel to do it. But hopefully this team go one better.”
Kirk’s memories of that showpiece – widely regarded as one of the greatest Hampden finals – remain vivid almost 30 years on but no wonder when he hasn’t stopped talking about it in all that time.
He added: “I still talk about it every day. I work for Arnold Clark and there’s people coming in who recognise me and I never get fed up talking with them about the Final.
“It’s something I miss every day. I miss the dressing room, the banter and being involved with the boys on a daily basis.
“The last time I played professional football was in 2004 and I was 41.
“That’s not a bad innings and I played with some great guys – some sadly are no longer with us. But there’s not a day goes past when I don’t think of that day and the people I played with.”
Kirk was speaking to promote purpleTV’s new film, Steelmen, which airs on BBC ALBA on Friday at 9pm. It will then be available for 30 days on BBC iPlayer.