Craig Sibbald has all the Premier Sports Cup motivation he needs to become Dundee Utd hero hanging up in his house

Dundee United star Craig Sibbald has his Scottish Cup runners-up medal hanging in his house - as a constant reminder to strive to go one better.

The midfielder was part of the Falkirk team who suffered Hampden heartbreak against Inverness back in 2015. Most players throw their losing medals away or hide them somewhere but Sibbald uses it as a daily motivation.

He also suffered League Cup final disappointment when St Johnstone beat his Livingston team in the 2021 League Cup. That will all be part of his thinking and psyche as United head to Fir Park, looking to take care of Motherwell and to book a place in the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup. Sibbald admitted: “The cups are really important to us and as players there’s nothing better than getting to Hampden trying to win a trophy.

“I have been to two finals myself and lost both of them, so I think I’ve got unfinished business in the cups. I went to the Scottish Cup final with Falkirk when we lost to Inverness and then the League Cup final against St Johnstone for Livi.

“I haven’t won one yet but you still have to take it as an experience and try to learn from it. I still have my two runners-up medals, the Scottish Cup one is hanging up in the house and the League Cup one is hanging up in the garage.

“I think it’s important to keep them and see them because it’s a reminder of what’s possible. It can also inspire you because you know how close you’ve been before and it makes you want to get back there to have another go at it.”

What hurts the 29-year-old most of all is that in both finals he and his teams missed massive opportunities, as they didn’t face Rangers or Celtic. He hopes this is the season where it finally ends in glory. Sibbald acknowledged: “Those two