Graham Carey knows the bitter taste of a big match “if only”.
And the St Johnstone playmaker is determined he and his team-mates won’t be tormented by that feeling after Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Celtic.
The Perth side will need to be at their best to a man if they are going to knock out the competition favourites and earn a return trip to Hampden Park next month.
As the Irishman recalled from his time with CSKA Sofia and Plymouth Argyle, these matches can come and go in unsatisfactory fashion if you don’t seize the moment.
“I don’t feel nervous like I did when I was younger,” said Carey.
“Hopefully that can rub off on the players to play the game and not the occasion.
“Because it is a big occasion.
“They just need to focus on sticking to the game plan and seeing where it takes us.
“When you walk out at the start, it will be a shock. Just because the atmosphere is different.
“Even though you’ve maybe played at Celtic Park, when it’s at Hampden it’s totally different.
“And you know it’s a chance to get to a final that you don’t really get in your career too much.
“I’ve told them just to have no regrets.
‘Worst feeling’
“In Bulgaria I played in a cup final (in 2022) and after the game I thought there was so much more I could have done.
“I just didn’t have enough impact on the game, against Levski Sofia. It was a big derby and neither team played well.
“That was tough. We had won the cup the year before but it’s never nice losing a final.
“It’s the worst feeling.
“The same was the case when I played Wimbledon for Plymouth in the play-off final we lost (in 2016).
“I was maybe trying too hard.
“As you get older you realise it’s just another game and you just need to stick to the game plan and give 100%.
“Big games can pass you by a bit.
“As long as the players just embrace it. Everyone knows it’s a huge game but focus on yourself, working hard for your teammates and everything else takes care of itself.”
Creative focal point
Carey’s wonder goal against Livingston secured Saints their place in Sunday’s semi-final and his free-kick delivery to Daniels Balodis produced the winner in the recent Premiership clash with Celtic.
The 35-year-old is the oldest player in the team but still the likeliest to produce a moment of magic at the national stadium.
“I thrive on the responsibility to create and score goals,” he said.
“That’s my job and if I’m not doing that then I don’t feel like I’m helping the team win games.
“We’ve got a lot of our players who are very creative and it could be anyone who steps up Sunday.
“Hopefully it’s not just me and we get others in the final third creating and scoring.
“As long as the team is winning games, it doesn’t matter who scores or creates.
“When you get chances against Celtic, you need to take them.
“Against really good teams you are not going to get a lot of them.
“That’s why set-pieces are so crucial.
“They are going to have a lot of the ball and we’re going to have to withstand a lot of pressure.
“When we do get set-pieces, we need to make the most of them.”
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