The prospect of a cup semi-final between Falkirk and Celtic takes Scott Crabbe back to a night that ended with a free journey home in the taxi cab of a Rangers fan.
There are a slew of memories from the occasion when his Falkirk team knocked the Celtic side of Paolo Di Canio, Jorge Cadete and Alan Stubbs out of the 1997 Scottish Cup. The result was so unexpected that the holiday the first division club's directors had bought the players for reaching the semi-final was booked for two weeks before the final. "We ended up training in Magaluf," Crabbe says with a smile. "The standard was second to none, though, because everybody wanted their place in the cup final team."
The occasion seems detached from the prospect of this Sunday's Scottish Communities League Cup semi-final between the two sides, not least because Crabbe's team-mates were mostly weather-beaten old pros reveling in the last glories of their career. The current side is full of young players trying to make their way in the game, hoping that enthusiasm, fearlessness and bright talents can overcome inexperience.
They are also unlikely to experience the same journey home as Crabbe and his colleagues following the 1-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox. "On the bus back to Falkirk, we got to this roundabout at the Roman Bar," says Crabbe. "I'll never forget, it was a mass of blue-and-white [and the] Falkirk fans wouldn't let the bus through. It was wee Kevin McAllister's local. So the manager [Alex Totten] said, 'right c'mon, we're going in to see the punters'. It ended up a mad night.
"At two o'clock in the morning, I was stoating about the street with my Falkirk blazer on, and when I got to the taxi rank there was only one guy sitting there. He looked at my blazer and said 'd'you play for Falkirk, wee man? Were you playing against the Celtic?' I said 'aye'. He said 'brilliant result, son. Where are you off to?' I said 'East Calder, but I've only got 15 quid'. He said 'jump in, I'm a Rangers man son and I'll take you home nae bother'. What a night."
The defeat prompted Tommy Burns's departure as the Celtic manager, and Crabbe can recall looking at the opposition players in the tunnel ahead of the replay and sensing their unease. Being the underdog allows a certain freedom, and forces the more feted team to bear the weight of expectation. Falkirk, though, were roused by the belief and confidence generated by Totten, a renowned motivator.
"Nobody gave us a chance," Crabbe says. "But we had boys who had been round the block a couple of times. It would be more of a shock [this time around]. [Falkirk have] nothing to lose. They won't have any fear if they can get past the first 25 minutes or so."
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