I DON'T MEAN TO BRAG BUT WE MAY JUST HOLD ALL ACES

THE Gretna squad arrived at our Cup Final hotel last night and immediately made plans to rub shoulders with royalty.

Kings and queens were the order of the day as we organised the latest stage of our pre-match Texas Hold 'Em tournaments.

But take it from me, when it comes to poker, this team is more Lesmahagow than Las Vegas.

The stakes are hardly high - a fiver a head, maximum, which is hardly a cash pot to fatten Amarillo Slim.

It's just as well for John O'Neil, who has seen more chips pass through his hands this season than Brooks Mileson when tucking into his favourite pre-match fish suppers.

Ryan McGuffie wins more than most but perhaps Rowan Alexander should consider going with a forward line of Davie Nicholls and Derek Townsley at Hampden tomorrow.

They are impossible to read and are likely to go all in with a weak hand and win the lot.

The mood in the camp as the game approaches is really positive, very relaxed but with just the right nervous edge to our preparations.

I mentioned Nethermains Primary School yesterday and today it's the turn of Gretna Primary, who turned out to wave us off from Raydale at lunchtime after our morning training session.

The whole school was there in the sun but it's clear to see who are the favourites as Guff and I were the only ones to be greeted with personalised banners wishing us all the best.

The work we've done with the school book club this season has obviously rubbed off and you don't have to be a literary genius to express just how much their send-off meant to the squad.

I also fielded a few phone calls from family and friends yesterday and finally got rid of my last two tickets for the final, taking the number of fans who'll be cheering me on tomorrow to almost 300.

The group includes 12 nurses from Wishaw General who have had t-shirts specially made for the occasion with 'Kenny's Angels' printed on the front.

My cousin Jason also called from London to let me know he's flying up for the match and risking an earful from his wife Nadine in the process.

It's their sixth wedding anniversary this weekend but they will be spending it apart so he can cheer on Gretna.

I flew to Port Elizabeth in South Africa for their wedding so Jason reckons if I could make such an effort for the biggest day of his life, he could do the same for me.

Everything is going well and even the Gretna kilts are hanging resplendent in the hotel wardrobes in preparation for the big day.

I've also given my boots an extra shine but it's just as well I'm not too superstitious as I've had to put one of them in the bin before the big game.

I've been playing all season with odd boots - one old adidas copa mundial and one new, but the battered boot has seen better days and has now been ditched.

The new boot, which is original partner but I don't mind what I wear on my feet as long as they are comfortable.

Likewise, I don't know which dressing room we'll be using at Hampden for the final and I don't really care.

They are both mirror images of each other anyway and I've scored when I've changed in both, so I'm not bothered in the slightest.

The buildup this week has been tremendous and I only hope we can repay the faith so many people have shown in us.

The good-luck messages have been pouring , in - my mum Karin was telling me a letter even arrived from my former workplace at Stirling Royal Infirmary yesterday.

Wait a minute, it hasn't been opened yet -here's hoping it really is a good luck card!

Taken from the Daily Record