Has Steven Thompson ever been as good as this?

At 34, the St Mirren striker has been a revelation in terms of his goals and all-round play, and the latest prize in his career comes at Hampden tomorrow when he will lead his team's attack in the Scottish Communities League Cup final.

For one who was once regarded as pretty average, Thompson has carved out a fine career for himself. He has played and scored in Old Firm matches, played and scored in the Champions League, played in an FA Cup final and also played in the Barclays Premier League for two years. Not to mention his 16 Scotland caps.

All told it is an impressive story, and now comes this adventure with his hometown team. "I've been really lucky in football – all sorts of good things have happened to me," says Thompson. "And now I can hardly believe I am going to a cup final with St Mirren. I feel as good and fit a footballer as I've ever been. It is fairytale stuff for me."

Thompson is thriving in Paisley. He is a dedicated footballer, lean and strong, and looks every inch a honed athlete. St Mirren fans are beside themselves at having this intelligent, aggressive striker in their midst. Yet the Thompson story is worth re-telling, because his success in football with Dundee United, Rangers, Cardiff City, Burnley and St Mirren was born in part out of adversity.

"At Dundee United I broke into the team at 17 years old," he recalls. "When you are young you don't think about anything, you don't think about the game, you just go and play. It is actually something I've been trying to rediscover as a player in recent years. It's the best way to play football – just having that mental freedom.

"The older you get, and the more you think about things, the more you can psyche yourself out of certain situations and let pressure get to you. I have consciously tried to recapture that younger mindset I once had."

Back in the 2001/02 season, Thompson was scoring goals, getting capped for Scotland, and bigger things were calling him. He was signed by Alex McLeish for Rangers for a three-year stint at Ibrox which, arguably, was the making of him.

"At Rangers I ticked every box there to be ticked: I won the league, the Scottish Cup, I scored in the Champions League, I scored in Old Firm games. The experience was phenomenal for me in terms of learning and developing. But there was a trend there for getting stick from the fans: Alan Hutton got it, so did Maurice Ross and Bob Malcolm. And I got it, too.

"It all came back to that factor in any sport: confidence. If you are not confident on a football pitch in front of 50,000 people then you suddenly look and feel very small. It was a time at Rangers when I struggled in terms of my confidence and when you begin to expect bad things to happen, or begin to fear you'll give the ball away, then eventually these things do happen."

Thompson was able to stand tall amid his critics at Rangers. Indeed, on one occasion he refused to celebrate after scoring a goal, having been jeered by some supporters. Yet the striker absorbed all this and made himself bigger and better for it.

"I had an amazing time at Rangers in terms of learning about myself and I wouldn't have achieved the rest of my career without that," he says. "If I could go back I wouldn't change a thing about my time at Ibrox. If you play for that club the level of exposure and scrutiny is incredible. I actually feel very privileged to have played for Rangers.

"In my career since then I have learned how to blot out all negative thoughts. Now, if I do something on the pitch that isn't good, I've learned more about not letting it affect the rest of my performance. I've learned how not to go into a shell."

In January 2006, Thompson left Rangers, vowing that he wanted to play in England. Two-and-a-half years at Cardiff City followed, during which time he played in an FA Cup final at Wembley before falling out of favour with manager Dave Jones. "It was a good time to be at Cardiff – guys like Robbie Fowler and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were in the team, and I enjoyed successful periods," he says. "But, having started season 2006/07 very well, with me and Michael Chopra getting goals, we suddenly plummeted from second place to 14th in the Championship, and the manager told me I was being transfer-listed. I was stunned. My wife and I had a new baby and a new house in Cardiff. But then came Burnley."

At the time Burnley were enjoying one of the greatest chapters of their recent history, with Thompson helping to lead them into the Premier League. And Owen Coyle's management style left a deep impression on the striker. "More than any other manager I have ever worked under, Owen Coyle's man-management is on a different level," says Thompson. "He makes you feel wanted, he makes you feel special, he makes you think that you are a better player than you are.

"It is genius what Owen Coyle does. In 2009 he took a bunch of 18 players at Burnley into the Barclays Premier League. We had no right that year to be promoted. But we did it because Owen has a fearless attitude and brings out the best in you. He doesn't just blow smoke up your arse – if you played badly he would tell you. But I played a pile of games at Burnley under Owen and scored, for me anyway, a lot of goals. As I say, he led us into the Premiership, which for me was almost unthinkable. I then played two seasons in England's top flight."

By the summer of 2011 it was time to come home. From what we have seen these past 18 months, Thompson could be doing a fine job for most Clydesdale Bank Premier League clubs, but he had only one remaining ambition. "I was born in Paisley and St Mirren was my local club. It had always been in my mind from a young age to one day play for them. Hibs had offered me a contract but I wanted to manipulate a situation where I could come home and play for St Mirren."

Thompson scored 16 goals last season and is on 14 so far this term. And tomorrow comes Hampden Park. "In a weird kind of way, when you get older and you know your time might be running out, it brings out the best in you," he says. "Physically I feel as good as I did five years ago, and I'm certainly a better footballer. I've also managed to get my head into a better place in recent years. Ability is one thing but the real difference is confidence and self-belief. This is the most settled and secure I have ever felt in my career.

"And I'm right up for Sunday. I can't wait for it. I've felt a bit of apprehension, a bit of excitement. I've felt everything about this match. It is fantastic."