You might have think everything went to plan for Ross County on the day they won their first major trophy.
However, the day did not get off on the right track. Or road, for that matter.
County were staying at the Westerwood Hotel in Cumbernauld, prior to the League Cup final against Hibernian.
However, after a change of route into Glasgow, to avoid getting caught up with the visiting fans coming in from Edinburgh, led to a last-minute change of plan which the County staff were not informed of.
“The day didn’t go all to plan,” said assistant manager Billy Dodds. “We were staying in Cumbernauld and thought we were going in on the M73 to Hampden that way. But they sent us the long way as all the Hibs fans were coming from Edinburgh, and nobody told us.
“We turned up late and it was pretty rushed. The team usually get 20 minutes on the pitch beforehand to soak it all up. They got two minutes and were straight in. My video session, Jim’s team-talk, out you go and win the cup. Maybe it was better we didn’t have time to think about it.”
It was County’s first Hampden final since the 2010 Scottish Cup showpiece against Dundee United. They had, impressively, dispatched Celtic in the semi-finals and would have hoped for a smoother ride into the ground.
“We went through Glasgow, over the Kingston Bridge, through Pollokshields and into Hampden that way,” Dodds added. “They eventually had to get about 12 motorbikes to take us in as quick as they can. It was a rushed job.
“We had prepped and done video sessions at the hotel. But it was a pretty rushed job at the stadium and you don’t like that on cup final day.
“If we had been told we’d be going the long way into Hampden we’d have said ‘right, let’s leave 15-20 minutes earlier’. They ended up getting the bikes in and got us through.”
The game itself saw County change shape to a back three, which they usually reserved for games against Celtic. The flexibility of defenders Marcus Fraser and Richard Foster, as well as having midfielders who were comfortable in possession, allowed them to switch seamlessly to a new system.
“We changed shape; we watched Inverness take them on at Easter Road and thought 3-5-2 was the way to go,” said Dodds. “We didn’t play it a lot, only a couple of times here. We were mainly a 4-4-2 team.
“We lined up in a 4-4-2 then Ricky Foster moved up one and we became a back three and a midfield five. We had to match the central part of their midfield.
“We didn’t play our best going forward but what we did was stop their best players – they had quite a few. Tactically it was brilliant for us because it worked.”
Alex Schalk’s goal late in the game earned his place in County folklore, delivering an unexpected success to the Dingwall club.
In that same season County finished in the top six for just the second time in their history. That came on the back of a memorable escape from relegation in the 2014-15 campaign, which was manager Jim McIntyre and Dodds’ first at the club.
They were dismissed in September 2017 on the back of finishing seventh, with the Staggies going on to be relegated later that season.
“We had three great seasons here,” said Dodds. “It sounds funny this – winning a national trophy is right up there – but escaping relegation in the first season was a miracle. That’s my top achievement at Ross County.
“We were down and out. We were gone. We went on that unbelievable run and picked up a ridiculous amount of points.
“I remember at the time, Motherwell boys and guys I knew at clubs round about us, were coming off the park saying ‘oh no, County have won again’.
“That’s my top accolade at the club. Winning the cup and getting top six was special. We finished seventh next season and we were gone.”
