Ryan McCann's Cup Final diary

May 25 2008 Ryan Mccann

IT was a week like no other in the life of Ryan McCann - the lead-up to the Scottish Cup Final had just about everything for the Queen of the South star.

The defender witnessed the outpouring of grief for his former Celtic coach Tommy Burns and caught up with another old Parkhead pal, Kenny McDowall, when they went head to head at Hampden.

McCann also rejoiced as the Hoops won the SPL, took pelters for a black eye sustained in a golfing accident and watched with pride as his niece Olivia lapped up her first football match.

But after starting the final with a shiner Ryan ended it with a sore, stitched-up face following an early whack and suffered the ultimate heartache as the First Division outfit lost 3-2 to Rangers.

Here he takes us through his rollercoaster six days:

MONDAY

AT last after such a long wait we can finally call this "cup final week". My only worry is I'm sporting a huge bruise on my right eye.

I was playing golf at Hillpark with my agent Martin Reilly and stupidly walked into his (horrendous) swing which leftme with a black eye.

I know the boys will slaughter me for it and they start by teasing me about coming off second best in a scrap.

But I have to say a huge thank you to Jim Thomson and Shaun O'Connor for sparing me the worst. The pair of them have appeared in a daily newspaper with their other halves - I bet you didn't realise Queen of the South had glamorous WAGs - and the feature is stuck up all over the dressing-room so they feel the brunt of the banter.

It's also media day but I'mkept out of the way thanks to my exclusive MailSport diary.

I'm not sure anyone other than big Jim got much coverage. It seems his life story has appeared in one paper - talk about stealing the limelight.

He's getting married soon so they must have agreed to foot the bill for the wedding.

TUESDAY

A DAY of sadness as I visit Parkhead to pay my respects to Tommy Burns.

I go with my mum Patricia and grandmother Grace to join the tremendous crowd and it's touching to read all the tributes to the great man. I leave before the hearse arrives carrying the coffin but read a lot of messages and see what he meant to people.

I was on the books at Celtic when Tommy was head of youth development and was lucky to work with him, Willie McStay, Kenny McDowall and Danny McGrain. They were a good team.

The thing I always remember about Tommy is a 90-minute session would turn into three-and-a-half hours. He was so enthusiastic about football.

But I enjoyed it because you wanted to train harder when he was there. Tommy demanded that.

He was a brilliant guy who loved the game.

WEDNESDAY

IT'S not often a player says he doesn't want to do a Cristiano Ronaldo but as I watch the Champions League Final with mates in Hamilton that's exactly what I'm thinking.

When Manchester United and Chelsea go to penalties my pals ask what I'd do if the Scottish Cup Final goes the distance.

I tell them I'd be absolutely s******g myself!

And I can safely say after watching Ronaldo's spot-kick I don't want to copy him. But I will volunteer for a penalty if the final goes to a shoot-out.

It's a mixed bunch of mates and I don't stay out as long as I'd have liked while they get tanked up.

By the time I leave half of them are telling me to get stuck into Rangers and the rest offer money to lie down. All good craic.

It's a day off from training and I head to Dumfries to sort tickets for family and friends. It's good to get a feel of the atmosphere and there are flags hanging from windows all over town.

I have 70 tickets to dish out but am sad one person won't be there - my uncle, mum's brother Peter McLean who died suddenly recently at just 43.

I found out after stepping off the plane from our trip to Marbella and itwas hard because Peter had never been to a football game so I'd promised him a ticket for Hampden.

One person going though is my sister Hayley's wee girlOlivia who will be two next month. It will be her first match and I'm desperate to get her on the pitch.

THURSDAY

THERE is a split between Rangers and Celtic fans in our team and the banter is always great.

The first day we were due back in training after the UEFA Cup Final was last Friday but the manager kindly gave me it off to attend my uncle's funeral.

I'd actually bought a big furry Russian hat with the gold USSR badge on the front and planned to wear a Zenit St Petersburg top to training and wind up the guys.

By Monday I'd missed the chance of a joke but was hoping a Celtic title win would allow me to give the lads both barrels.

Six players are in the so-called Queen of the South Loyal and went to the City of Manchester Stadium but there are others on my side. Paul Burns is one and nobody's a bigger Celt than physio John Kerr.

The text messages fly between us all as the title race reaches a thrilling climax. I watch the match in my best pal Tony Kane's - he lives next door but can afford Setanta while I can't - and am jumping for joy.

But I don't want to tempt fate by slagging the Rangers players we're facing in two days.

Still, Kerr makes up for it ... then again he's not playing!

It has been an interesting few weeks with Gers going for four trophies, then three and now we have the chance to leave them with only one.

FRIDAY

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 0, Rangers 1. No, that's not my cup final prediction - it's just the result of the accommodation battle before the big game.

We went to the Crutherland Hotel in East Kilbride before our semi-final and it served our needs as well as proving a lucky omen.

The club tried to book it again only to find our opponents had got in before us. Money talks, eh?

So we're forced to "slum it" at the Hilton in Glasgow city centre. Wee Bob Harris is my room-mate but I can't complain about him because my snoring makes me terrible to share with.

And that's only when I can get to sleep as I'm a bit of an insomniac. Tonight is especially hard and I only get about four or five hours' kip.

I was at Clyde with Bob and he's a top man despite being Gers daft.

He was naive to pose for a photo with "Ferguson" on the back of his Rangers top but I don't see the big deal. I just hope he gets Barry's shirt after the game.

In the morning we have a good last training session. My only problem in recent weeks is I didn't have any boots with moulded studs so Stevie Tosh gave me his patched-up old ones.

That's why my shooting has been so bad! What it doesn't explain though is the terrible blisters on my feet that are proving a real concern.

I'm in agony at times and worried it could force me off tomorrow. That's how bad it is.

It's amazing when you think of all the modern medicines they can't find a solution for blisters - or maybe it's justmysoft baby feet.

But I'm hoping surgical spirits will do the trick.

SATURDAY

I KNOW Kenny McDowall well from my time at Celtic and my old man also works with his wife.

Dad met him in the street after we'd beaten Dundee in the quarter-finals and Kenny said he fancied meeting us in the final.

The prospect seemed a million miles away but as I look out at the Hampden turf and see Kenny and the Rangers boys it's suddenly staring me in the face.

Kenny helped bring me through at Parkhead and was a brilliant coach, hard but fair. I reckon the fact he never played for Rangers or Celtic made him even more determined to succeed as a coach.

I hadn't seen him for a few months but what better circumstances to catch up?

Kenny knows me well and will have told Walter Smith all about the threat of my runs off the ball!

Seriously, the nerves are starting to kick in and when the team is named in the dressing-room before kick-off I just want to get out there.

Martin O'Neill used to read out the side a couple of hours before kick-off and I prefer that although players would by lying if they said they didn't have an inclination of what the team will be.

Two minutes in and I'm already in thewars and have to get stitches in a facial wound.

The game is a thriller and we're unlucky to lose 3-2 after fighting back from 2-0 down at half-time.

All the lads performed with great skill ands guts and can take pride in running Rangers so close.

It was an exciting cup journey and now I'm looking forward to a party and today's open top bus parade before a well earned rest.

I'm skint so Aberdeen is as glamorous as it gets - I'm going golfing at Cruden Bay with my old Clyde buddy Craig McKeown.