Bell wants to erase painful memory of defeat by taking trophy to Tannadice
IT may be known as the Irn-Bru Cup these days but, for Cammy Bell, his memories of the Scottish Challenge Cup tournament are inextricably entwined with one fateful April afternoon at Easter Road.
The goalkeeper will never forget the pain and subsequent fallout from the defeat he suffered as a Rangers player, when John Baird slid a shot underneath him and into the net four minutes from the end of extra-time to claim the trophy for Raith Rovers four years ago.
Now in the colours of Dundee United, the former Scotland squad man is aiming to repair his relationship with the competition by delivering the trophy to Tannadice. To do so, Ray McKinnon’s men will have to overcome the challenge of Queen of the South at Palmerston in today’s semi-final. But, for Bell, the tie presents not only a chance of personal redemption, but also an opportunity to give a little back to the United support following last season’s relegation.
“Obviously I remember that final well and it was a disappointing day,” Bell said. “It was a tough one to take for the team that day. We got a lot of criticism after that game and things happened after it that the club got a lot of criticism for.
“Another final is something, personally, that I’d like to be involved in and go that extra step to win. And obviously it would be great for Dundee United fans after the disappointment of getting relegated last season. To bring something positive to the club would be great.”
Queen of the South midfielder John Rankin has, meanwhile, urged his team-mates to make their season meaningful for as long as possible by shocking United to get to the final.
The former Tannadice player is cup-tied, but still thinks Gary Naysmith’s revitalised side have enough about them to get the victory.
“We still have hopes of making the play-offs but we’re nine points off the pace and that’s going to be hard to make up. If we can sneak in it would be great, but winning a trophy would be the mark of a good season,” he said.
“It would also give the players something to look back on, especially for the guys who are coming towards the end of their careers. You start to look at things and think, ‘What have I got to show for this?’ The likes of Andy Dowie, Derek Lyle, Jamie Hamill and Chris Higgins are all in their 30s now and they are looking to win something before they finish playing.
“We also have Stephen Dobbie, who’s won promotion to the Premier League in the play-off final with three different teams. That’s great experience.
“At the other end of scale, we have young boys breaking through who can see what the likes of Dobbs has achieved and aspire to doing that as well.
“Ultimately, it comes down to the medals you have in the house, not the money that you have in the bank.”