Ally McCoist
Rangers 3 Celtic 2 1984 Scottish League Cup final, Hampden Park
Ten Scottish league title wins and some memorable moments in a Scotland shirt are all part of Ally McCoist’s impressive legacy, yet he goes back to the start of his Gers career when he tells World Soccer about his standout game…
What was my best moment on a football pitch?
Now that’s a tough question to answer because I was fortunate to have so many in my career and there are different ways to look at this. You have the title wins, the great Old Firm games against Celtic, the Scotland matches at Euro ’ 96 and so many moments that are special for different reasons.
Yet ask me to pick out the one game that I look back on more fondly than any other and it might surprise you: the1983-84 Scottish League Cup final against Celtic at Hampden Park, and there are a number of reasons why that game means so much.
It was my first domestic cup final and we beat Celtic 3-2 after extra-time. I managed to get a hat-trick to win it, but that only tells half of the story.
The only reason the game went into extra-time was because of my mistakes, as I gave away a penalty in the final minutes. You do something like that in a massive match and your heart sinks. That is a moment you could be remembered for, the one mistake that could come back to haunt you forever.
So when I managed to get the winner in extra-time and make sure that penalty incident would not be my abiding memory from that game, it highlights why it meant so much.
I was fortunate to win a lot in my career, but that first medal and the feeling it gives you is unbeatable. Until you do it and lift that cup, you always have doubts about whether you will be good enough be part of a successful Rangers team, but one win leads to another and that was very much the case for us as a team. You might say a League Cup win is not the most significant victory you could have on a CV, but it means a lot to me and every trophy I won has a special memory attached.
I’m not one of those players who looks back on my career and laments the moments that went against me. If you do that, you will drive yourself crazy. I’ve spoken to players who have won bigger trophies than me and they are regretful of the finals that got away or the titles they should have won. For me, I look back on my career in a different light.
I feel so blessed that I played in so many great teams, with great players, and to be part of so many great occasions.
Of course, there could be a list of things I wish would have turned out differently, but how many people have had the career I had? Not many. So I’m very grateful. It would be really selfish to sit here and say I’m disappointed about aspects of my football story, as the truth is I lived the dream time and again. It’s only when you are out of football that you look back and think how amazing it was because when you are at a top club and challenging for trophies, it feels like the norm and you don’t think about the end.
To look at my record now and see so many trophies on there is a source of great pride, but that first League Cup win in1984 will always be special for me.
“I lived the dream time and again”