'Wayne Rooney' Poplatnik moments won cup for Raith, Accies need a similar hero, says star

Reghan Tumilty compared Matej Poplatnik to Wayne Rooney and hopes somebody at Hamilton Accies puts on a superstar show to win the SPFL Trust Trophy on Sunday.

Tumilty was part of the Raith Rovers side that beat Queen of the South 3-1 to win last season’s competition, and hopes to lift the silverware for a second year in a row, but this time with Accies.

Poplatnik bagged a double, with Ethan Ross clinching the trophy win.

And 26-year-old right-back Tumilty hopes to be able to celebrate a trophy win should Accies beat Raith Rovers at the Falkirk Stadium, having been stuck in video analysis the next day this time last year.

Tumilty, who was signed following his release from Hartlepool United, said: “Matej Poplatnik turned into prime Wayne Rooney that day, and I think he won us the game!

“It was a good day out, it was good to win it.

“It was a good run in the tournament that we had. I think at the stage we were at Raith, we were having to win a game.

“We were going through a dodgy period and [then-boss] John McGlynn took it very seriously as a competition.

“To get to the final is a great thing, so to be in the final here as well is good, and hopefully we can make a good day out of it.

“We didn’t do anything when we won it! We were training the next day because we had a game on Wednesday against Dunfermline, so we didn’t really celebrate it at all.

“We were watching John McGlynn’s video analysis, but it was good to win, and good to look back on it.

“It would be good to celebrate it this time, but we’ve got to concentrate on the league.

“This is, I suppose, good to take our mind off it if we can win, and it will hopefully set us up, confidence-wise, for the league.

“Hopefully we do get to celebrate it, but we do need to