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Craig McCracken has opened up on the rollercoaster journey to an historic Auchinleck day – which kicked off with him being benched.
The defender started out on the Rugby Park sidelines last May as Talbot chased a 12th Junior Cup and with it, a place in this season’s senior competition.
With Bot trailing 2-1 to Hurlford the 22-year- old was thrown on and headed the winner in a stoppagetime salvage mission.
McCracken pulled off the same trick against Ayr last month – albeit this time he started – when he met a Mark Shankland delivery to nod home an historic goal.
Going back to the Final, the former Ayr defender said: “I had an inkling I might not be starting but it still doesn’t prepare you for when you’re name’s read out in the subs. It is horrible.
“But it also just shows you how quickly things can change. I was delighted to go on and get the winner.
“Now the boys are al l absolutely buzzing to be going to Tynecastle and there is absolutely no pressure on us.
“We just go in and do the best we can and if we get beaten 3- 0 then we were meant to get beaten.
“The pressure is on Hearts to go and perform.”
McCracken scored two last weekend in a 7- 0 rout of Petershi l l which was watched by Craig Levein.
The Talbot man was oblivious to the Jambos gaffer’s presence.
The youngster said: “He’s an experienced manager and you’ve seen with their success this year that he knows exactly what he’s doing.
“So I’m pretty sure if they were playing Celtic he would have probably gone and watched their game.
“I’m sure that he’s maybe taking it as seriously as he would if he was playing one of the Old Firm or Hibs or Kilmarnock. It’s a chance to get into the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup.”