Kenny’s latest Cup success also linked to tragedy
SAYS KENNY SHIELS
Ask any group of Kilmarnock fans to name their favourite football memory, and it is a fair bet the events of Sunday, March 18, 2012, will feature heavily in the answers.
The Rugby Park club’s capture of the League Cup that day, achieved at Hampden Park against a Celtic side tipped for Treble glory, is one to be treasured.
It was Killie’s first trophy win since 1997, and their first success in the competition showpiece from half-adozen attempts, following on from the painful 5-1 reverse against Hibs in 2007.
And in what was destined to become a pub quiz question for years to come, the winning goal was scored by Dieter Van Tornhout, a player who spent just six months at the club and was celebrating his birthday at the Final.
The Ayrshire club’s followers will be hoping for a similar outcome this afternoon when the Hoops visit Rugby Park on Premiership business. The 2012 triumph, though, was entwined with tragedy.
Jack Kelly, father of young midfielder Liam, collapsed in the stands following a heart attack at the end of the game.
As his son danced a jig on the Hampden pitch, word was passed to him and he dashed to be by his side.
Though Jack made it in time to see him taken to the hospital, Kelly senior passed away just a few hours later.
Six years on, Kenny Shiels – the manager who led Killie to glory and in the mourning that followed – finds himself the focal point of another bittersweet celebration.
A week ago today, his Derry City side won the League of Ireland Cup.
It was their first trophy win since the year of Killie’s success, and once again the party that followed was dominated by memories of a man who wasn’t there, but should have been. “This one was different from Kilmarnock because I felt it was just meant to be. I believe Derry were destined to win it,” said Shiels.
“Ryan Mcbride, our captain, died very suddenly in his sleep 18 months ago, and it has been incredibly hard for all of us to take.
“We are still coming to terms with that, and one of the things we have done most recently is to decide we would rename our ground, The Brandywell, after him.
“That was announced in the lead up to the final. As soon as we did that, I knew we would win the League Cup for him.
“To put it into context, the club hadn’t won any silverware at all since 2012, so it wasn’t just a case of turning up to pick up the trophy. “To win it 3-1 – at our home ground too, the one that will carry Ryan’s name – was a terrific feeling. “It meant so much to me as a manager that we did that. For Ryan and for all the guys, for all the fans, for everyone.
“This has been my best moment. But then, to be fair, it is the most immediate.
“It is the one which is fresh in your mind, the one in which the memories of the emotions you felt are the freshest.
“And, of course, it was fantastic that Dean, my son, was part of the side.
“He is an excellent footballer and I am very proud of him.”
Dean was also part of Killie’s 2012 triumph and it is not the only similarity between the achievements. Where tragedy preceded Derry City’s success, and in no small way motivated their players, in Killie’s case, it was wrapped up with the game itself.
“Again, it was a dreadful moment. We went straight from the greatest of highs to the lowest of lows,” said 62-year-old Shiels in recalling the death of Jack Kelly.
“You want to just go away and mourn. But at the same time, I was a manager with people to support so my grief tended to be more public. “The win in 2012 is something am very proud of. That final still gives me a lot of satisfaction.
“They said we couldn’t do it. “They said that Celtic only ever lost to smaller clubs in the early rounds or the quarter-finals, sometimes even the semi-final – but never in the Final. “I remember being told the last
This has been my best moment. But then, to be fair, it is the most immediate
time it happened at Hampden was back in the 1970s, which says it all, really.”
Shiels countered the pessimism in two ways.
Publicly, he talked up Celtic’s chances of success. Privately, he stuck up a “Believe to Achieve” sign in training and urged the players to soak up the message.
“We had to believe we could win to have a chance, and they did. We went out there and we beat them, which was a fantastic achievement for Kilmarnock Football Club,” he said. “The whole community shared in that success.
“It gave the area itself a real lift, which is something which makes you even more proud to be associated with the win.
“That is six years ago now, which is a long time in football terms.
“Killie are a very different team now but happily they are in a good place. And that will be true no matter what they do against Celtic this weekend.
“I thought they did really well to get Steve Clarke, a top manager who happened to be between jobs, and they are reaping the benefits of that appointment.
“There is no rocket science involved. He is just a guy who really knows what he is doing.
“He keeps things simple and backs himself to get the best out of the players at his disposal, something he does time and time again. It is one of his real strengths as a coach.
“Kris Boyd is a great example. He was struggling when Steve first came in, but bounced all the way back to the top of the division’s scoring table.
“People will look from the outside and imagine it must be simple – just tell them they are a good player and away you go.
“But it is a whole lot more than that.”
Shiels may be gone, but not yet forgotten, from the Scottish scene but the links remain.
New St Mirren boss Oran Kearney is his son-in-law. Fellow Northern Irishmen Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon, Tommy Wright and Stephen Robinson are dominant figures in the Scottish management community.
“I think you are going to have fun with Oran in Scotland. I really do,” said Shiels.
“He is his own man. He knows his own mind and is able to clearly articulate his thoughts, both to his players and to the media. “There was a hint of it with the magician that was brought in to speak to the players. There will be more to come, I can promise you.
“He did extremely well with Coleraine and can repay St Mirren for the faith they have shown in him. “There are a handful of our guys managing in the Scottish Premiership just now.
“Brendan, Tommy, Neil, Stephen and now Oran. They are a bunch of good guys. Tommy is one I get on with especially well.
“And it is not a new thing by any manner or means. There has been Martin O’neill, myself and the likes of Jimmy Nicholl.
“Why so many? Well, there is a real affinity between the countries and I think we share a similar work ethic.
“Northern Irish managers like to really put a shift in. We like to work hard and get the job done.
“But it is more than just that. Our country produces some very talented coaches and tacticians.”
A fact the memory of events of Sunday, March 18, 2012 at Hampden Park only serves to underline.