Caley Thistle defender Danny Devine hopes the script is written for him to grab the headlines in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Falkirk.
Devine is expected to replace Gary Warren in central defence, with the Englishman ruled out of the match through suspension incurred in last month’s semi-final victory against Celtic.
Although he has made only 10 appearances this season, Devine has been preparing for the likelihood he will be playing in the final ever since Warren picked up his second booking of the competition in the 3-2 win against the Hoops.
Devine would love to emerge as an unlikely match-winner to help Caley Jags win their first major silverware.
The 22 year-old said: “I’ve been trying to stay fit and sharp. I’ve played in a few games recently so I’ve felt my sharpness coming back.
“I’ve only had six full games this season which isn’t ideal. I’d like to have got a lot more, but with the form of the team and the way Josh and Gary have played, it’s been tough to force my way back in.
“Once Gary picked up that yellow card I knew there was a big chance I’d be playing the final.
“From that moment I’ve started to prepare myself mentally and physically to get myself right.
“All the players who haven’t been first-choice this season still train hard every day to stay fit.
“We look after ourselves for situations like this. Anything can happen in football.
“It just shows, with suspensions or injuries, players can get their chance. I need to be ready when mine comes.
“Hopefully the final has got my winning goal written all over it. I’ve not got many but I hope so.”
Warren also missed last season’s League Cup final defeat against Aberdeen through suspension.
Devine deputised on that occasion, and the Northern Irishman is determined to erase the pain of last year’s 4-2 defeat on penalties.
Devine added: “I’ve think we’ve learned from last year. It was a tight game and we lost out on penalties. This year we expect a little bit more from ourselves in terms of attacking football and taking more chances.
“It was a big disappointment last year and all the players now know how that feels.
“It’s a horrible feeling and we definitely want to put that one right.
“It’s gnawed away at us. In the League Cupfinal both teams went into the game trying to cancel each other out, that’s the way the game played out, but I think we’ve learned from it.
“Hopefully we can go into this final with a lot more positivity and get the result we want – finals are no places for losers.”