Crusaders defender Howard Beverland recalls watching his only previous Irish Cup final as a player from a wooden seat in Windsor Park’s old South Stand.
A fresh faced teenager with former club Coleraine, he had failed a late fitness test on an ankle injury just three days before the showpiece.
A series of full blooded challenges from old school boss Marty Quinn at Thursday night training convinced the then 18-year-old it wasn’t to be.
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“Marty wanted to go into some '50-50' tackles to really test the ankle and I knew at that stage it just wasn’t going to happen for me,” said Beverland.
“Marty really gave me up until the last minute to play, but I missed out. It was a major disappointment."
Linfield beat Coleraine 2-1 in the 2008 final, thanks to a deadly brace from Peter Thompson, and Beverland recalls naively comforting himself with the thought he’d be back in the showcase game 'very soon'.
“Here we are 11 years later,” he smiled ruefully ahead of Saturday's showpiece with Ballinamallard United.
“It was a big disappointment to miss out in the 2008 final although at that age, I was thinking ‘this is my first season as a player, I'll be back in another final very soon’.
“I was 18 then and I’m 29 now, so I’ve come to realise big moments like this don’t come along that often. Hopefully I get the chance to be involved in this final. It would be really special.”
Like many others, Beverland is surprised Crusaders, one of the Irish League's big hitters in recent years, have gone 10 years without lifting the cup.
Colin Coates, Jordan Owens and Declan Caddell are the only survivors from the team that beat derby rivals Cliftonville 1-0 in the 2009 final thanks to a rifled finish from Mark Dickson in front of the Kop.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been so long, so it’s a big incentive for everyone at the club,” said Beverland, who won the league title with the Shore Road men last season.
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“This season, we’ve had to do it the hard way en route to the final, beating Linfield, Ballymena United, Coleraine and Glentoran, so it has been tough.
“It’s been as hard a run as I’ve ever seen in the cup, but winning the final is always the toughest challenge and that’s what we’re focused on now.”
While Ballinamallard are the first non top-flight club to reach the final since Carrick Rangers in 1976 and rank outsiders to cause a shock, Beverland is taking nothing for granted.
“This Ballinamallard side is very competitive and they’ll be well organised,” he said. “There’ll also be no pressure on them and that’s when the shackles come off.
“A player who plays with freedom and no pressure is a very dangerous opponent, so we have to be professional.
"There’ll be times when we have to be patient. A cup final doesn’t have to be won at half-time or inside the first 50 or 60 minutes.
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"We need to back ourselves and believe in the players we have around us.
“We know there’ll be a spotlight on us and we’ll be expected to win this game, but we have to make sure we don’t get frustrated. We have to keep our concentration.”
Beverland knows all about the qualities of seasoned Ballinamallard captain Richard Clarke who won two league titles at the Crues before joining the Fermanagh club in 2017.
“I played alongside Richard in my first season at Crusaders and he’s a great player,” he said. “I also remember playing against him when he was at Newry City and Glentoran.
“Richard is a great technician on the ball and has also always been a great ambassador for Irish League football.
"It'll be good to see a player like that step out in an Irish Cup final."
- TENNENTS IRISH CUP FINAL
- Ballinamallard United v Crusaders
- Saturday, May 4 (2.30pm)
- Live on BBC2 Northern Ireland from 2.10pm
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