Graham confident his underdogs can have their day and stun Rangers
PARTICK THISTLE women’s manager Brian Graham barely had time to catch his breath last week. His day job as striker for the Firhill men’s side meant he was in Arbroath yesterday afternoon with the journey down the road spent perfecting his team talk for this afternoon’s Sky Sports Cup final as Thistle take on Rangers at Tynecastle.
“I don’t usually write notes down but I have for this afternoon because it is such a momentous occasion,” said the 36-year-old. “I am usually quite off the cuff with my team talks but I will be prepared for this one.”
It has been quite the journey for Thistle to get here. From their renaissance as Thistle Weir to Partick Thistle women, the Jags have confounded expectations in recent seasons. Back-to-back top-six finishes – the only part-time team who has made it into the top half of the table – and their first major final underline the rapid progress that has been made.
Graham has been instrumental to that acceleration. It hasn’t gone unnoticed. Celtic identified him as a potential replacement for Fran Alonso but it’s understood that Graham wasn’t ready to hang up the day time boots just yet.
And what has been clear is the influence he has had on the women’s squad. Judging by his pre-match spikiness as he took exception to a line of broadcast questioning that framed this afternoon’s game in terms of a straightforward procession to silverware for Rangers, his side can be relied upon to show ample fight at Tynecastle.
“It is not the Rangers final which I think a lot of people seem to have forgotten this week,” he said. “Before a ball has been kicked I feel that I need to remind people that it is Rangers v Partick Thistle today; there are two teams.
“People seem to think that Rangers are turning up to pick up the trophy, but we have a belief and a confidence within this squad to know that we can come and give a very strong account of ourselves. Of course we believe we can go and win it. Why would we not?
“It is essentially about being brave, being bold. It is 11 v 11. Anything can happen – and how many times have you seen that in football? It doesn’t always go to plan. I want my players to look at the history of underdogs in cup finals and then I want us to go and make that story ours.”
Meanwhile, Rangers manager Jo Potter believes that last weekend’s defeat to Celtic, which blew the SWPL title race wide open, can be a useful lesson for her side as they set their sights on a potential domestic treble. The Ibrox side remain at the summit of the SWPL but a win last weekend would have given them a seven-point cushion rather than bringing it back to a solitary point between the top three.
There will be interest now in how they cope with the pressure of a title race that has looked like a procession for them for much of this season. Certainly, though, Potter expects it to be a sharp wake-up call.
“I think we need to use that,” she said. “We were nowhere near our levels from what we have seen. We potentially could have nicked a draw and it would have taken away from what we need to do better.
“We definitely didn’t feel like we deserved anything from the game. We could have taken something but we didn’t and I think this week what we have been able to do is to focus on what went wrong and we have looked at the conversations that we needed to have.
“This is a game we are all looking forward to. It is a fantastic opportunity now for us to bounce back.”
It will be a family affair for Potter this afternoon as the former England internationalist looks to claim the first silverware of her managerial career.
“I have my Mum, Jill, and Dad, Jim, and my sister, Gemma and her husband, George, all up for the game,” she said. “They have been avid fans all season. My Mum has always followed me all the way through my career so I hope I make it a worthwhile journey for them!
“It is a special occasion and it is nice for them to live it with me.”
Partick Thistle will be keen to upset the plans.