Peterhead manager Jim McInally is trying to complete a special hat-trick when his side meets Queen’s Park at Hampden today in their Petrofac Training Cup semi-final.
McInally is hoping to secure a first final berth for the Balmoor men, win a semi-final for the first time in four attempts in his managerial career and also gain a small measure of revenge on one of the managers who caused him heartache at a final four stage.
The Blue Toon manager took Morton to within one step of the final in 2005 when they came across a St Mirren side managed by Gus MacPherson, who is now in charge of the Spiders.
MacPherson got the upper hand, but to this day McInally still does not know how.
He said: “Morton battered St Mirren and I still do not know how we did not win. Boy, did we miss chances and they won the game on penalties before winning the cup.
“That semi-final was a great game and there was a crowd of about 11,000 there. No one was expecting those numbers.”
McInally’s luck in the years which have followed has not improved.
He said: “Morton faced St Johnstone and then Clyde in semi-finals and lost them both. However the game against St Mirren is the one that really stands out as the most disappointing. It was one of the last times I came up against Gus so it would be good to win this time.”
Peterhead reached the semi-finals in October 2010, where they lost out to Queen of the South, but they go into this afternoon’s match as favourites.
McInally said: “I was asked recently if I was worried about the players being complacent. I do not think I need to worry about that as this squad has never been near a semi-final let alone a final so we cannot be complacent.
“We have experienced players such as Simon Ferry, who has been in a play-off final at Wembley. He was good at training this week in encouraging the players to enjoy it and so they should. Semi-finals are usually dour affairs but we will look to go out and play. We cannot let the chance slip by.”
Spiders manager MacPherson agreed with McInally’s assessment of when he last faced the Blue Toon manager in a semi-final.
He said: “Somehow we won and that shows you what cup football is all about. Sometimes it is not the best-performing team that gets through.
“We said at the draw that everyone would want Queen’s Park as we were the only League 2 side left, but we will put our trust in the players selected to go out and do their best.
“Getting to this semi-final is a fantastic achievement, but there is a huge incentive to win through and have a potential final against Rangers.
“We have home advantage and will try to make it count.”