Jim Goodwin promises boss Danny Lennon he's fit for League Cup Final

Hugh Keevins 15 Mar 2013 10:03

THE St Mirren captain insists he won't tell Danny Lennon any fairy tales about his fitness even though he has dreamed of lifting the League Cup.

ST MIRREN skipper Jim Goodwin has fantasised about climbing the steps to the winners’ rostrum at Hampden and lifting the League Cup.

But the Irishman won’t tell his boss Danny Lennon any fairy tales about his fitness in order to make his dream come true on Sunday when the Saints take on Hearts.

Only three men in the Paisley club’s history have had the honour of lifting a major trophy and Goodwin won’t jeopardise anyone’s chances of making it four.

Not even his own prospects of rewriting the record books.

He said: “I’ve thought about going up to lift the cup since we reached the final. But I wouldn’t want to be the player who started a game of this importance when he wasn’t fully fit and cost his side the game.

“That’s why I’ve spoken with the manager and given him my word that I’m fully fit for Sunday.”

Goodwin will play his first game in three weeks and, in the process, he hopes to walk in the footsteps of Jock Bradford in 1926, Davie Lapsley in 1959 and Billy Abercromby in 1987 so far as St Mirren’s Roll of Honour is concerned.

But the captain knows only fully fit, able-bodied men will be required to combat a Hearts side who’ve reached the final against all expectation.

Goodwin said: “Hearts deserve huge credit for everything they’ve achieved so far. They have had so many problems that some people might have thought their dressing room would have fallen apart.

“But they’ve developed a kind of them-against-the-world mentality and that can bring teams closer together than anything else.

“That team spirit could be their biggest motivation at Hampden and I’d say they have to be considered favourites going into the final.”

St. Mirren’s three Hampden wins have all come in the Scottish Cup, so Goodwin hopes to make history by winning the League Cup.
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The 31-year-old added: “I’ve won a League One promotion with Scunthorpe but this is the most important moment of my career.

“Nobody gave us a chance when the tournament started but we’ve beaten Aberdeen at Pittodrie and then Celtic in the semi. Now we’re going all out to create history.”

Goodwin thought he’d miss out on the big occasion after being booked in the win over Celtic but the rule book came to his rescue.

He said: “The booking was my second of the tournament and I thought I was suspended for the final. But it turns out it’s three cautions before you are banned.

“There’s no doubt my lucky escape was an extra bonus from the win against Celtic.

“However, it was not all positive as the cup final has proved a distraction and our league results suffered to the extent that a place in the top six after the split is now out of the question for us.

“But we’re a professional bunch and we understand the demands of this weekend. What our club lacks in fan base and finance we make up for in team spirit. There are no inflated egos in our team and we know we can’t carry anyone in a cup final. We’ll be focused.”

Goodwin would take it as a compliment if it was said his face bears all the hallmarks of a man who has dedicated his professional life to giving no quarter on the park. That will undoubtedly be the case when Hearts stand between him and the fulfillment of his dream to win the cup.

He might not look like someone who’s big on sentimentality but he’s as aware of standing on the threshold of greatness as the next man in black and white. He added: “Steven Thompson, a Paisley lad, has said he feels consumed by the thought of the game against Hearts.

“I understand what he means. I’ve visualised the final whistle and the climb up those stairs at Hampden to receive the trophy.

“But I’ve also been around the block enough times to know that you can’t look too far ahead or else you’ll end up with egg all over your face.

“We beat the best team in the country in the semi-finals. Now we’re up against a team who’ve overcome adversity to get to the final. We have to take it from here.”

Taken from the Daily Record