Former Inverness Caley Thistle defender David Raven hopes underdog status will help unite current squad ahead of Scottish Cup final against Celtic
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
David Raven hopes that Caley Thistle's squad will band together under the underdog tag they will be given ahead of this weekend's Scottish Cup final against Celtic.
The former defender played a key role in ICT's charge to the final eight years ago, scoring the winning goal against Celtic in extra time towards the end of the semi final.
Then, as now, the Glasgow giants were fancied to claim the victory at the national stadium.
Raven, though, says that the class of 2015 bonded over the prospect of upsetting the apple cart, and he hopes a similar effect will be seen this weekend.
"We always felt like underdogs," Raven recalled.
"We felt it the year before against Aberdeen in the League Cup final when there were 45,000 Aberdeen fans at Celtic Park. It brings you together.
"It was a learning curve we went through, and we took that on to win the Scottish Cup in 2015.
"You've got nothing to lose. It brings you together to fight for each other, and hopefully the manager gets them well-drilled and prepared, and they can get that little bit of luck on the day.
"You do need a bit of luck when you face Celtic, but hopefully it turns out."
If there is any advice that Raven can pass on from his experience of big matches at Hampden, he would tell the current ICT squad to try and avoid thinking about the occasion too much and focus on the task at hand instead.
"It can be difficult, but it's a necessity," he reasoned.
"I always found it quite easy, because I didn't have any family at Hampden. All the people coming and asking, I didn't get all that.
"It can be difficult if you know people are coming and you're worrying about letting them down, but it's absolutely critical that you put that out of your mind.
"If you don't, your legs will go before you've even kicked a ball because of the tension.
"It's a game of football, 90 minutes and 22 players. You have to get everything else out of your mind and just enjoy it.
"Even afterwards, you want to look back and think 'what an occasion', but you only enjoy it if you're in it.
"If you're thinking about your family in the stands, you're not going to enjoy it, so it's an absolute necessity as far as I'm concerned.
"They have already created memories, and they have the chance to do something unbelievable if they win."
Given Raven's goal in the semi final is so iconic among Inverness folklore, it is easy to forget that he was injured for the cup final.
Tearing his calf in training leading up to the showcase, Raven only blames himself for pushing too hard.
He suspects it was more difficult being in the stands for the final in 2015 than it would have been playing, but he is in no doubt that the class of 2023 would eclipse his side if they can lift the Scottish Cup for the second time in Caley Thistle's history.
"I was a nervous wreck on the day being in the stands," Raven added.
"We couldn't come that far and not win it. We couldn't do all that and then get beaten by a team in the league below – all due respect, that's how we felt.
"I would far rather have played, but I'd had my moment in the semi final as well so I had to be philosophical and be okay with it.
"For some people it was their very first memory of success, and the fans constantly remind me every year on social media which is really nice.
"It was just an amazing time of my life to be a part of that, so I'm very privileged.
"It did put us on the footballing map in Scotland. People took us seriously for a little while after that, and I would have liked to have seen the club kick on, but we didn't.
"Life moves forward, and if Inverness go on and win it this year I'll be absolutely over the moon.
"The club needed this final as well, so it's brilliant to see. What an amazing journey for them, and winning would surpass absolutely everything."
