Maurice Malpas already has proof you can stop treble-chasers in a Scottish Cup final – because he achieved it as a Dundee United player.
The former Inverness assistant manager is thrilled the Highland club, who won the trophy in 2015 under John Hughes, is back for the Hampden final this Saturday.
Billy Dodds’ side defeated Falkirk 3-0 in their semi-final to confirm a date against Ange Postecoglou’s Scottish champions and League Cup winners.
The Hoops are massive favourites against the Championship team from the north as they close in on a treble.
Will Celtic take their eyes off the ball?
However, Malpas points to when he helped Dundee United win the cup in 1994 against a Rangers team going for a second successive treble under Walter Smith.
He said: “The Inverness players and the club must have belief going into the final.
“When we won the cup with Dundee United, Rangers were going for a double-treble, so sometimes it can happen.
“Maybe Rangers took their eye off the ball, and they gave us an iota of a chance to work with and it will be the same for Inverness.
“Everyone for Inverness will have to play well that day, everyone, and they will have to have the rub of the green. But, that can happen.
“If Doddsy can keep their heads clear, which is a massive task, then you can get on with it. You have to try and keep everyone on an even keel.
“On the week of the final, there will be more press commitments and the focus will be on the club, but in terms of training, you have to try and keep it as you normally do, because that’s what has helped take the club to the final.
“The players really do have to play the game, not the occasion.
“The majority of neutrals in Scotland will be looking for Caley Thistle to win, because the Scottish people love the underdogs.
“It would be a fairytale if they were to win it – but it’s possible.”
Inverness ‘wanted to hit their peak’
As assistant to Terry Butcher, Malpas helped shape the nucleus of the team which went on to win the cup under John Hughes in 2015, knocking out Celtic in the semis before beating Falkirk 2-1 in the final.
In almost five years at ICT until moving for a difficult period in charge of Hibs in 2013, the management duo had Caley Thistle going on an upward curve.
The club hit back from relegation from the Premiership in 2009 by romping to the Scottish First Division title one season later.
Hughes steered Inverness to the 2014 League Cup final, which they lost on penalties against Aberdeen, before winning the Scottish Cup one year later.
Malpas said Caley Jags’ stunning cup triumph in the Hampden sunshine gave him and Butcher a lot of pride and he said so many people within the club deserved it.
He said: “Terry and I had five years at Inverness, and we had a bunch of boys who wanted to play and wanted to hit their peak.
“Some of the training conditions were a bit wanting, but we had a great time up there. We had a group of players who wanted to work hard and succeed.
“The likes of Aaron Doran and Adam Rooney came up and played their hearts out for the club.
“We obviously got the chance to go to Hibs, which with hindsight wasn’t the best move for us, but we were at a club where everyone gave everything they had. That’s all you can ask.
“We had two chairmen (George Fraser and Kenny Cameron), who were fantastic, as were the board. They really supported us.
“I have fond memories of Inverness and I loved the area as well. It was a special time for us.
“Yogi came in and took the team on and they won the Scottish Cup. It was fantastic.
“We obviously still knew everyone involved and I still have a soft spot for the team and, even now, I look out for their results.
“In the 2015 final, there was only one team I was supporting. I wanted the club, the players and the chairman Kenny Cameron to get success.
“A lot of players went through hard times with injuries, and I was over the moon that they got their just rewards.”
🏆 The Final of the 2023 Men's Scottish Cup will kick-off at 5.30pm on Saturday, 3 June.#ScottishCup
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) May 3, 2023
Special bond mattered to Malpas
And Malpas explained that special ICT squad assembled over those golden years, with the team in the top-flight, bonded and forged friendships lasting to the current day.
He added: “A few of the boys came up and, after three or four months, they gelled as a group. Richie Foran was different class for us, both in the dressing room and on the pitch.
“So, when Inverness won the cup, I must admit I had one or two beers that night to celebrate and a few phone calls were made.
“I still bump into some of the players, such as Aaron Doran when he has played against Dundee United and it’s great to chat away.
“They were not just players. They were friends and we all got on well together. You don’t get that at every club, I can assure you of that.”
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