McKENZIE’S JOY AT COMPLETING 11-YEAR JOURNEY

THE longest-serving current player at Kilmarnock, Rory McKenzie’s 350th appearance for the Rugby Park club this afternoon will be his first senior match at Hampden. It is not exactly how the teenager envisioned his future as he cheered Kenny Shiels’ side when they lifted the 2012 League Cup at Celtic’s expense. On loan at Brechin City at the time, McKenzie was sitting in the stands with Killie’s youth players watching Dieter van Tornhout score the winner. As the team made a beeline for their fans at full-time, all of the starry-eyed kids were dreaming of one day following in the footsteps of their heroes in the big time. It has taken 11 years for Kilmarnock to get back to Hampden and McKenzie is determined to savour every minute of today’s League Cup semi-final against the Parkhead club, knowing that the vast majority of his fellow dreamers in 2012 are now pursuing other careers. ‘It means a lot,’ said the 29-year-old. ‘My whole career I’ve not had the chance to play at Hampden, so it’s exciting. ‘In 2012, all the youth team lads got tickets. The team came and celebrated the goal in the corner we were sitting in — it was a great day. ‘Us young lads were probably thinking we would be doing it together ourselves one day. But over the years people just trickle away. ‘From that youth team there are only one or two still in the professional game but a lot still play at a decent level at amateur and junior football. ‘Back then, you were thinking: “He will be the goalie or the right-back for the first team”. Now I know that’s not the way it works. ‘I was lucky enough to win my first trophy here last year when we won the Championship and got promoted to the Premiership. But to go and win the League Cup as a Kilmarnock player would be huge.’ Killie are huge underdogs today, just as they were in 2012. Back then, Celtic were on a 26-game unbeaten run and hopeful of winning their first treble since under Martin O’Neill in 2000-01. ‘Celtic were flying and the Killie fans were going to Hampden with a bit of anxiety,’ recalled McKenzie. ‘But Cammy Bell made a great save early on and decisions went our way. ‘To get a cup run and result against a club the size and stature of Celtic with how well they are doing right now would be huge for everyone.’