IT all began on the bus; or at least that was when the reality of his situation suddenly intruded on Manuel Pascali's consciousness.

As the team coach made its way through the south side of Glasgow, passing pockets of supporters who had travelled up from Ayrshire to witness this domestic disagreement, the Kilmarnock captain found himself reflecting on his own football journey, one that started during his teenage years in the north of Italy.

He recalled the pride of representing AC Sant'Angelo, his home town team, until the age of 16; the struggles he endured to establish himself at several professional clubs in the lower reaches of the Italian game; the feeling of watching as a supporter when Internazionale contested crucial games. Only then did the centre-back realise just how much this Scottish Communities League Cup semi- final meant to the Rugby Park fans and what it represented in his own career.

"I was very proud today," he said, having emerged from the dressing room clutching a celebratory bottle of beer and sporting an outrageous chullo on his head after an unnecessarily nervy victory over Ayr United. "No one knows my private history but, when I was 16, I was playing in the eighth division in Italy. I thought about that on the bus, and during the warm up I was thinking to myself 'f***ing hell, Manu, look what you've reached after all that hard work'. I know I don't have the talent that other players are given from God or whoever so I've had to really work hard but now we're going to be in the final. It's a great achievement but it's not over; we want to complete the painting."

To finish their masterpiece, Kilmarnock will have to overcome Celtic on March 18, but any further Hampden glory will be contingent on them performing significantly better than they did on Saturday. Confronted with lower-league opponents wedded to a grimly negative approach, Kenny Shiels' side toiled dreadfully as Ayr's blanket defence smothered any show of ambition. The Kilmarnock manager, in fact, was so riled that he dedicated much of his post-match musings to criticising Brian Reid's tactics.

Yet while he was entirely correct in his contention that Ayr might have enjoyed more success had they at least attempted to attack rather than just allowing their opponents the ball, it is only right that questions are asked regarding Shiels' own strategy. On the vast Hampden pitch, and against part-time players lacking pace and fitness, width is the most valuable commodity yet the Clydesdale Bank Premier League side continually tried to play through the middle of a densely-populated defence, their solitary goal coming from a fortunate ricochet. "I think in the second half especially we were trying to force it and getting a bit nervy," admitted full-back Ben Gordon, who spent much of the match in an advanced left-wing position.

That said, the occasion – a derby as well as a semi-final – and Kilmarnock's status as favourites was always going to make this an encounter to be endured rather than enjoyed. "We did what we had to," agreed Pascali. "I don't know if their keeper was on steroids or something but he was flying everywhere; I don't know how many chances we had."

Either way, the means justified the end for Kilmarnock and will have been forgotten by everyone other than the dogmatic Shiels by the time the final takes place. Defeat would have lingered, of course, given the depth of discord between these two neighbours but one of the most disappointing aspects of the match was the lack of an edge both on and off the pitch. Perhaps scattering 25,000 fans around the Hampden slopes anesthetised the hatred; or maybe the more rabid tendencies of the respective supports were diluted by the presence of those mums, grans and uncles simply there for the occasion.

For players steeped in the traditions of Ayrshire football, such as James Fowler and Garry Hay, the atmosphere was less raucous than usual but the prize of a cup final place more than made up for that. Both Kilmarnock stalwarts are entering the final years of their careers so cherish such opportunities that bit more, particularly given the disappointment attached to their previous Hampden memories; League Cup final defeats to Celtic in 2001 and, especially, a hiding from Hibernian in 2007.

"When you have bad days like that, it gets everyone geed up to get back there and make amends," explained Fowler, who signed for the club in the immediate aftermath of their 1997 Scottish Cup triumph. "You look back on finals with no fondness when you don't win and you want to put things right. Part one was to take care of our big rivals and we did that, so now we look forward to the final.

"Unless you are at one of the big clubs, you don't get the chance to reach many, so we'll all be looking forward to a big occasion."

Particularly Pascali. Drunk on success, he claimed he would be inviting all of his former team-mates from AC Sant'Angelo to the final, along with Marcello Lippi after he was introduced to the revered coach at an SFA seminar last month. The Kilmarnock captain confessed it might be too far for some of them to travel, but then their journey will pale into insignificance compared to that of their friend Manu.