WHEN Gavin Reilly signed for Hearts in the summer, his main goal was to win a trophy for the club – and this time he would at least enjoy such an occasion.
There aren’t too many who can claim they were Gretna supporters before the Brooks Mileson era, which saw a club far smaller than most junior sides reach a Scottish Cup Final and qualify for Europe.
They lost at Hampden in 2006 to Hearts and a young Reilly watched on in horror as his team, as they were, were defeated on penalties.
“I am from Gretna, so I went to games when I was young as a fan,” said Reilly who moved from Queen of the South during the window. “It would be nice to get back to Hampden and play this time. It’s a long time ago now, but it was great for Gretna as a club to reach a Scottish Cup Final.
“They were in the second division at the time and to take Hearts to penalties was incredible.
“I was 13 when I was at the final. There were no tears, but it was a wee bit emotional to take them all the way to penalties and to lose – it wasn’t anyone’s game when it went to penalties. They did the club proud, the community proud that season.
“I never thought Gretna would ever get to Hampden. The first game I watched them I think they were in the Northern Premier League and then got into the Scottish game. I never entered my head that they would reach Hampden.”
And Reilly himself is only one game away from an appearance at Hampden. All Hearts need do is beat Celtic on their own patch in next month’s quarter-final.
“A cup run is good for any club,” he said. “ The fans will be looking for a trip to Hampden. It gives this game spice and something to look forward to away from league duty. A cup would be great for the club, especially after winning the Championship last season. Some more silverware in the cabinet would be great.”
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