Kirkintilloch Rob Roy chasing first West of Scotland Cup win for 56 years

Rob Roy boss Stewart Maxwell has told his players they can become club legends with victory over Beith this Saturday.
Rob Roy drew 1-1 with cup final opponents Beith in last weeks league encounter (pic by Stephen Kerr)Rob Roy drew 1-1 with cup final opponents Beith in last weeks league encounter (pic by Stephen Kerr)
Rob Roy drew 1-1 with cup final opponents Beith in last weeks league encounter (pic by Stephen Kerr)

The Kirkintilloch side take on their Ayrshire opponents in the final of the West of Scotland Cup at Meadow Park in Irvine.

It’s Rabs’ first appearance in the final since they lost to Irvine Meadow in 2010 - when Maxwell was a player - and they haven’t won the trophy since 1963.

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But with the club’s under-19s having landed the Scottish Cup last month and Rabs finally on course to return to a new purpose-built home in Kirkintilloch after a five-year exile in Cumbernauld, Maxwell says the time couldn’t be better for his players to write a new chapter in Rob Roy’s history.

He said: “It’s a massive occasion. If they win this cup these players will be remembered through the ages.

“At the new park there will be a board with all the history and they will be on it.

“When they’ve been and gone they’ll be remembered as the players who broke a 56-year hoodoo.”

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Having seen Tottenham miss a trick, in his words, in Saturday’s Champions League final, Maxwell hopes his players come off the pitch with no regrets and having done themselves justice.

He said: “Whether you’re Jurgen Klopp or Stewart Maxwell you probably have a very similar chat going into a final. We all know what it means.

“But the likes of Beith - and Auchinleck and Hurlford - get to finals every second year. I’m not saying it’s not a big occasion for them but they are all big clubs used to winning.

“For Rob Roy finals don’t come round very often and you just want the players to grab it, to play free.

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“A final’s a tense occasion but you don’t want it settled by an error, you want a moment of brilliance to win it.

“We need to be brave and soak up the atmosphere and feed off that rather than freeze.”

Having played for and managed his local club, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help bring about the long-awaited return to Kirkintilloch, Maxwell has never hidden what Rob Roy means to him.

And he says the local community can play their part on Saturday by turning out in force.

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He said: “To be honest I can’t put it into words what it means to me, how long I’ve been at this club and with everything I do off the park behind the scenes, if Rob Roy win that cup it would be hard for me to process how I feel.

“It’s about getting the community out to support us, getting the community down there. They are key, with the size of Kirkintilloch if we can get a big crowd down it creates an atmosphere second to none.

“Come and back us and give the boys the support they deserve and give us a push to come home with the West of Scotland, the first trophy in the new stadium.

“Planes, trains and automobiles, get yourself down there. Fill the cars, take the train, get a supporters’ bus.

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“Cup finals don’t come round very often and it’s massive for the club.

Saturday’s final kicks off at 2.30pm. Anyone with enquiries over supporters’ buses heading to the final should contact Ian Muir on 07979 274808 or Jonathan Turner on 07900 362469.