McLaughlin offers a compelling case for mother of all upsets
ANOTHER important step on the soon to be concluded ‘journey’, another formality for Rangers.
Scott McLaughlin has read this script before and knows full well how determined Jim McInally and his Peterhead players will be to rip it up and create a little piece of history of their own in today’s Petrofac Training Cup Final.
The Balmoor side were the first to host Rangers on league business following their arrival in the bottom tier of the Scottish Football League in 2012 and McLaughlin was in the team and in the mood to upset the odds, rattling in a spectacular goal that put the home team 2-1 up with less than 10 minutes to go.
‘I remember the build-up to that game well,’ recalls the midfielder, now plying his trade under Barry Ferguson at Clyde. ‘People were talking about how Rangers were going to go through the season without dropping a point, that it would be easy for them.
‘They came to us in that first game, the whole circus was in town, and yet they needed a lastminute goal to equalise.’
It was Andy Little who came up with the late strike that spared Ally McCoist’s blushes — and robbed McLaughlin of his chance to enter folklore.
‘We were excellent that day, really competitive and I was gutted by the end,’ he recalled. ‘If my goal had stood as the winner I’d have been dining out on it for the rest of my life.
‘If you look at their line-up that day it was a pretty strong team. They had Carlos Bocanegra, Lee Wallace, Doran Goian, so it was basically a Premier League line-up. Peterhead can take heart from that this weekend and I’m sure they will.’
Now 32, McLaughlin combines playing with his day job as a co-ordinator for A&M Scotland, an initiative spearheaded by former Dundee United winger Andy McLaren to try to get disadvantaged children in Glasgow off the streets and on to football pitches.
He still maintains his links to the Peterhead dressing room via skipper Scott Noble, with whom he used to travel to Peterhead.
Four years down the line, Rangers are in much better shape and have already secured automatic promotion to the Premiership. However, McLaughlin believes his old team, currently chasing promotion themselves, have a chance if they can prevent the Championship winners taking an early lead.
‘It will be great for Scott to lead the team out at Hampden and, in a cup final, anything can happen,’ he added. ‘Even on Tuesday everybody thought Dumbarton were going to Ibrox as lambs to the slaughter and it didn’t work out that way. ‘If they can keep it tight early doors then Rangers might just get a wee bit frustrated. It’s definitely a freebie for Peterhead, they can just go out, play their game and relish the occasion. And in big Rory McAllister they have a potential matchwinner. For years he has been knocking in the goals and he won’t fazed by the occasion.’ McAllister was Peterhead’s other goalscorer in that 2012 game and he remains the most potent threat in McInally’s side. A former Aberdeen trainee, the striker later turned down the chance to move to the SPL in favour of continuing his apprenticeship as a plumber.
McAllister has 22 league goals this season and McLaughlin believes he is capable of adding to his tally today.
‘Rory should have played at a higher level, you just need to look at the goals he has consistently scored,’ continued McLaughlin. ‘He could play in the Premiership easily. The way he finishes is class, even the way he takes his penalties. He eyeballs the keeper, waits for him to move and then sticks it in the other direction. He’s just so confident.
‘With the job, he has he made a decision to put his non-football career first. Some have said he has lacked ambition but he has a wise head on his shoulders and he has decided to prioritise the job for his future.’