NO BIRTHDAY BLUES FOR McCULLOCH DESPITE FINAL ANGUISH

PLAYING in a European final on your birthday is something most Scots can only dream of but Lee McCulloch celebrated his 30th by coming off the bench for Rangers against Zenit St Petersburg in the final of the UEFA Cup in Manchester 12 years ago. Unfortunately for the Scotland midfielder, now first-team coach at Dundee United, there was to be no happy ending on his special day.

Walter Smith’s side were trailing 1-0 when Brahim Hemdani made way for McCulloch in the 77th minute but they couldn’t find an equaliser and Zenit, managed by former Ibrox boss Dick Advocaat, scored again in stoppage time to secure the trophy. Even so, it was an unforgettable day for McCulloch, who admitted Rangers were running on empty as they neared the end of a marathon season which saw them play 68 games, reach three cup finals and take the title race to the wire only to lose out to Celtic at the death. ‘It was a weird birthday, that’s for sure,’ admits McCulloch. ‘The day was a bit of a blur because managing to get tickets for all my family was a real pain but I enjoyed the build-up to the final, with all the media attention.