LONGER READ: 'Cup shocks happen all time' – Caley Thistle talisman Billy Mckay dares to dream of Hampden glory against Ange Postecoglou's treble-chasing Celtic
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Billy Mckay was the best man the first time Inverness Caley Thistle stepped out in a Scottish Cup final and won it.
His performance was faultless and the applause all around him deafening.
There was no man of the match award, though, as the Highlanders made history with a Hampden Park victory over Falkirk in May 2015.
Mckay was 320 miles away in the little North Northamptonshire village of Gretton, serving as chief groomsman at the wedding of a childhood pal.
Four months earlier, Mckay had taken his talents south of the border to Wigan Athletic after a dazzling return of 62 goals in 130 starts and 11 substitute appearances.
A Terry Butcher signing who lit up the Caledonian Stadium from his second season, the then 26-year-old’s move to Greater Manchester was life-changing financially for Mckay and his family. There are no regrets.
Mckay caught the action on television that day, but eight years on, rather than writing a wedding speech, is preparing - at last - for a tilt at penning a Scottish Cup fairytale.
“It was my mate Peter’s – he’s actually divorced now!” Mckay said.
“Me and my dad were actually out in the car park watching a bit of the game on our phones.
“I remember seeing Carl Tremarco get sent off, thinking it was going to be a tough afternoon from there but the lads did great to dig in and show character. That’s what we’re all about at this football club.
“I was obviously cheering on the boys. I had spent a lot of time in that dressing room with them.
‘They were all my mates and I still keep in touch with the majority of them. It was a special day.
“Even though I had left, I was still a fan. I remember watching the semi-final against Celtic when I was at home in Warrington.
“In all fairness, anyone in my shoes at that time would have moved. It was right for me and my family at the time. It’s not something I regret.
‘The financial side of it is massive, something I couldn’t turn down at the time.”
Nobody doubts that for Caley Thistle to grasp the trophy again will take a super-human effort, creating arguably the greatest Scottish Cup shock of all time against Ange Postecoglou's treble-chasing Celtic.
Should Mckay hit the net in the process, or even in defeat, he will become the club’s joint all-time top goalscorer, equal with Dennis Wyness on 101 goals.
“One would be good – two would be even better,” Mckay quipped.
“It doesn’t matter who scores. The aim is to go there to Hampden and win the game.
“It would be great if I could repeat what I did in the semi-final against Falkirk, with two goals, but we’ll just be trying to win the game at all costs.
“In a final, it doesn’t matter how you do it. You just need to win the game.
“As for the goals record, It would be a phenomenal way to do it, but the key is to win the game.”
Premiership clubs have already been dispatched by Inverness – Livingston and Kilmarnock – while a fourth round defeat to Queen’s Park ended in passage after the Spiders’ mistake in fielding ineligible Euan Henderson.
That bizarre twist and quirky future quiz question has an optimistic minority in the Highlands sensing a Caley Thistle triumph might just be written in the stars.
Mckay, now 33 but still at the peak of his powers, will carry both belief and a healthy streak of realism with him to the national stadium.
“It’s been a long build-up, which hasn’t been ideal for us. You just feel like you’re waiting around,” he said.
“But now we’re only a couple of days out from the game, it starts to feel real.
“I’ve said to the lads we could be the first to get knocked out, but still go on to win it. We are only one game away, albeit it’s going to be really hard against Celtic.
“We just need to make sure we’re at our best to give ourselves a chance.
“Cup upsets happen every year. Why can’t this be another one?
“As a club, Inverness have beaten Celtic before in a semi-final at Hampden. I’ve played in other games where we’ve beaten them and I’ve scored a winner against them.
“Nobody is unbeatable, but we know everything will have to go right for us on the day.
“Early in my career, I played for Northampton and scored at Anfield when we beat Liverpool in the League Cup in 2010.
“They rested the likes of Gerrard and Carragher, but still had the likes of Daniel Agger, Lucas and Ryan Babel in the team at that time.
“Roy Hodgson was the manager, but I don’t think he lasted too long after that.
“We drew 2-2 and we eventually beat them on penalties.
“Not many people gave us much of a chance in that game. Why can’t we go and do it on Saturday?”
Mckay knows everything must align on Saturday evening, not just the stars. Billy Dodds’ starting 11 must be at their best to a man, disciplined, tactically spot-on with a tireless work ethic.
Even then, the final ingredient will need to be a touch of good luck.
“Is this the best Celtic side I’ve faced? It’s a tough one to judge. They definitely play a different style of football than some of the previous Celtic teams.
“It is hard to look past the team that went unbeaten a few years ago, but you look at the way this current team plays just now.
“I watched them against Real Madrid earlier in the season in the Champions League – and for 45 minutes they blew Madrid away.
“So we know what they’re capable of. They are right up there as one of the best teams Celtic have had.
“We know Celtic will have a lot of possession and a lot of entries into our final third.
“It’s not just about the defenders. Even as forwards or midfielders, we need to make sure we are switched on at all times.
“It will obviously be a big test to try and cause them problems.
“I saw the 5-0 game last weekend and I don’t really think Aberdeen had a shot on goal. We know it will be hard.
‘But we also saw the games against Hibs, St Mirren and Rangers (where Celtic dropped points, post-split).
“There are goals there and ways to hurt Celtic, if you show what you can do.
“We believe we’ve got players in the forward areas who can hurt them.
“If a chance comes along, we need to be ruthless and make sure we take it.”
