John Rankin admits the pain of cup final defeats will be driving him to succeed with Hamilton Accies in the SPFL Trust Trophy final on Sunday.
The Accies gaffer made it to three finals as a player and came out on the losing side on each occasion, so he is determined to make sure his team come out on top in the battle with Championship rivals Raith Rovers.
As a 21-year-old at Ross County, Rankin lost in the final of the very same competition back in 2004 against Falkirk and more heartache followed in the 2014 Scottish Cup final when St Johnstone defeated his Dundee United side at Celtic Park.
A year later, Rankin’s Dundee United were denied again when Celtic ran out victors in the League Cup final. So having only tasted defeat in showpieces as a player, he hopes to change the record in his first final as a gaffer.