Raith Rovers v Hamilton: Accies boss John Rankin determined to break cup hoodoo in Trust Trophy final

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.

The 39-year-old said: “Losing those three finals still hurt, even to this day.

“When you lose a final, you get so close, you have all the build up and then you lose. It is painful. The memories I have aren’t good ones.

“I think the Scottish Cup final in 2014 was the worst.

“You grow up with finals at Hampden but this one was at Celtic Park which wasn’t ideal.

“Having lost to St Johnstone was the one we felt we could have won.

“We got caught up in the team we had that day rather than performing. That is still disappointing.

“The next day we had a celebration but it was more like a funeral for us. It was that bad.

“I remember those days and I don’t want to sample that again.

“If I can share my memories with the players and they get a better experience, then great.”

Rankin also revealed his lasting memory of getting to the 2014 Scottish Cup final was almost being hit by a golf ball by team-mate Paul Paton in the