FIELD OF DREAMS
Reynolds still loves under-fire Hampden
THE charge sheet against modern-day Hampden is familiar and lengthy. From its lack of atmosphere to the obstructed views, few of its regular inhabitants see it as the epitome of a modern sports arena.
For Mark Reynolds, however, even the most unconvincing of facelifts has not cost the old lady all of her lustre.
‘I love Hampden,’ said the Aberdeen defender. ‘I was kind of brought up around it as my dad used to coach at Queen’s Park, so I was always in and about it.
‘I was there at the old Hampden and then when it was being redeveloped. I was there for the new Hampden and, obviously, have trained there with Scotland squads, so it feels familiar and comfortable.
‘I think that’s a good feeling to have. When you are comfortable in your surroundings, it brings out the best in you. It’s just how the story goes, isn’t it? You want to go to Hampden and lift the cup.
‘That’s what everyone dreams of, isn’t it? And now we’re only 90 minutes away from doing that.’
Come hell or high water on Saturday, Reynolds has good reason to hope it won’t be his last visit to Mount Florida this season.
Named in Gordon Strachan’s provisional squad for the game with England on June 10, he appreciates he could yet be deemed surplus to requirements for the national cause.
The optimist in him, however, can’t think of the possible consequence of a starring role in a Scottish Cup-winning team. One success, he feels, might well lead to the other.
‘The Scotland squad is still to be cut and there’s nine of us playing, so potentially there’s still places up for grabs,’ he added.
‘You just need to put in a great performance and if we were to win the cup, it would certainly add to myself and Kenny McLean’s case for inclusion.
‘I’ve changed my holiday plans. I’d booked Tenerife, but it’s one of these things. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. Playing England at Hampden is something you’d cancel your holiday for.
‘It’s always great to get any kind of recognition. The squad has still to get cut down, but just to be in the manager’s thoughts is great. It’s a nice end to the season.’ Such welcome recognition is not entirely alien. The last of a smattering of call-ups came two years ago for the game with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. To date, though, that first cap has proved elusive.
‘I was last involved a couple of years ago, before I did my shoulder,’ recalled Reynolds. ‘When you guys (in the media) kept saying I’d fallen off the radar, I did think it. It’s one of these things.
‘Gordon Greer didn’t start playing until the twilight of his career. I’m only 30, but I feel like I’m 60. I got called a veteran for the first time in the paper the other day. But defenders are supposed to reach their peak at this age.
‘Even just 30 seconds I’d be happy with. It’s the elusive cap, my first one, and it would be great. I’ve been away a lot and been involved and feel comfortable when I’ve been away training, so it would be great to get on the park and get that cap.’
Dressing rooms are rarely the most understanding of environments.
Being a nearly man in international terms is manna from heaven for the wits in the corner.
‘They’ve given me loads of stick,’ smiled Reynolds. ‘I think if I got a cap, I would wear it in! We just give everyone stick.
‘That’s just one of those things — it’s like water off a duck’s back.
‘It needs to be because if we didn’t, we’d have a sports psychologist on call at the club.
‘Adam Rooney still gets it as well, so I can get shelter behind him and the two of us can just hug while they batter us.’
It goes without saying that every word is uttered in jest. The dressing room Derek McInnes has built at Pittodrie is happy, durable and united. Success tends to breed those qualities.
The contrast with the atmosphere in the not-toodistant past must be striking.
Dons fans will need no one to remind them that, in December 2011, they were briefly found propping up the league.
‘That was just before I came to save the day,’ quipped Reynolds.
‘All joking aside, I came just after. The aim then was just to secure top-flight football, get up to the middle of the table and push for top six. Now we are looking for Europe every year and second or third is a minimum, probably second the way things are just now is an absolute minimum.
‘Anything less than that would be disappointing.’
The appointment of McInnes as Craig Brown’s successor four years ago was the point that everything changed. The League Cup of 2014 was the first trophy in a generation. A third straight secondplaced finish has just been secured.
Were the Scottish Cup to be clinched, a memorable era in the club’s history would be elevated to a whole new level.
‘We had a meeting at the start of the season when we talked about aims,’ said Reynolds. ‘That was to push Celtic as hard as we could and to get to two cup finals and try to bring a trophy back.
‘We’ve got to both cup finals, but, in the first one, we failed to win the cup. Now we’ve given ourselves another chance.
‘You hear all the talk about Hampden in the sun in May and we’ve given ourselves a chance of achieving that.’