No omens this time but May eyes a cup double
WHEN St Johnstone lifted the Scottish Cup in 2014 it was a triumph that always seemed written in the stars. With their talismanic forward Stevie May wearing No17 that season, the cup final being scheduled for May 17 proved a good omen ahead of their 2-0 win over Dundee United. The fact that Callum Davidson was unable to find a player with the surname ‘February’ and hand him the No 28 jersey means Saints head into tomorrow’s Betfred Cup final against Livingston without a similar sign from above. But the star of the 2014 cup triumph could not care less about being the centre of attention this time around — as long as the cup comes home to Perth for the first time. ‘The ‘May 17’ stuff in 2014 was good,’ smiled May. ‘I don’t think we won the Scottish Cup just because of me, but it was a nice little thing for me and it sold a few jerseys. ‘But the chairman made sure I didn’t get any cut of that, you won’t be surprised to know! ‘Nobody has come up with any similar omens this year, so there’s nothing too exciting. But we’ve all seen the club’s colours beamed onto the River Tay in the build-up and we’ve seen stuff on social media as well. ‘And it’s been nice to see the strips getting put out for the fans and the stuff like virtual tickets. The club has done all that amazingly and I think the fans really appreciate it. Hopefully we can get the job done for them. ‘The most important thing is getting over the line on Sunday. ‘It doesn’t matter who plays or who scores. It could be an own goal, I don’t care. ‘It’s just about doing everything you can for the team to try and get the job done and over the line — and get our hands on that silverware.’ The 2014 triumph was at Celtic Park while Hampden was being redeveloped for the Commonwealth Games. It did not diminish the experience but May admits it would be special to win another cup at the National Stadium. ‘Definitely,’ he declared. ‘But it took nothing away from the experience in 2014 for me. I was just happy to get my hands on the trophy. They could have given it to me in the basement, as long as I got a touch of it. ‘I’ve got good memories of Celtic Park because I made my Scotland debut there, too (against England in 2014). But it’s nice to be in a final at the national stadium now. ‘A lot of the boys hadn’t played at Hampden before we played Hibs in the semi-final. But the way we played that day will be good for us, having gone there, done so well and been so confident. ‘A lot of boys now have good memories from the place and that does help. ‘It would be lovely if we could have fans in but it’s not to be, so we’ve got to make the most of the situation as it is. ‘Hampden is a huge arena for us to go and play in and, hopefully, we can win the cup. ‘We are going into the final off the back of a 3-0 league victory at Motherwell last weekend, which was one of our best performances of the season. ‘But Livingston, over the last few months, have been the in-form team in the league. ‘I would probably say they are favourites. But we will go about our business and be quietly confident that we can get the job done.’
Stevie May was speaking to promote Premier Sports’ live and exclusive coverage of the Betfred Cup final, Livingston v St Johnstone, on Sunday from 1pm. Premier Sports is available on Sky, Virgin TV and the Premier Player. Prices start from £9.99 per month.