Is Winters a Scottish Cup record breaker?

Robbie Winters says it would be a great thing if it’s discovered he is the oldest man to score in the Scottish Cup.

The East Kilbride striker scored twice in their stunning 9-1 win over Vale of Leithen on Saturday and his goals arrived at the age of 41 years and 324 days.

But the Scottish Cup is a 143-yearold competition and many players are reputed to have played into their 40s in the infancy of the Scottish Cup.

In the modern era, Craig Brewster comes closest to Winters, scoring for Aberdeen in a 2-2 draw with Hibernian in January 2007 at the age of 40 years and 31 days.

Other veterans who played into their 40s, like Davie Irons - the oldest to feature in the Scottish Cup at 49 for Threave and Andy Millen (45 when he played for Queen’s Park), also come up short.

The News contacted both the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park, but they have been unable to verify if Winters is the oldest to find the target or the oldest to net a double.

Winters, from Jackton, said: “If I am the oldest then it’s a great thing for me.

“And it would be great for East Kilbride to have the club in the record books.

“To be involved in the Scottish Cup at any age is fantastic, so to still be playing in it at 41 is special.

“I’m just lucky I can still help the teams I play for and I’m still relatively fit and sharp in the head.

“Just getting on the ball on a Saturday afternoon is great for me, so that’s all I’m worried about.

“Craig Brewster was a fit boy and scored a few, so I thought he would have beaten me. “If it turns out to be me, then great.” Winters scored his first Scottish Cup goal at the age of 22 when he found the target for Dundee United in a 2-0 win over Stirling Albion in 1997 and his goals for East Kilbride on Saturday have taken him to 9 in 21 Scottish Cup appearances.

Now in his second spell at Kilby, Winters is the club’s player/coach.

The ex-Aberdeen hitman, who turns 42 on November 4, schools the strikers and his dual roles came together with dramatic effect on Saturday as he bagged his double and provided assists for Fabio Capuano and Adam Strachan. But he was keen to play down his influence.

He said: “Through my experience I just try and help the boys get through the game.

“Whether it be telling them they’ve got time to turn or talking to them about angles and things like that, a lot of what I’m doing is helping with communication.

“Sometimes they can be a wee bit rushed with a pass or they need to get their head up to see a pass at the right time, so I’m helping with things like that.

“I also do a bit of work on finishing and they’ve all been doing well. We’ve got goals coming from everywhere and that’s the really pleasing thing for me.

“The confidence of the boys and the winning mentality they’ve got is great.”