Saturday 30 May 2015 15:00, UK
Russell Latapy insists sentiment won’t affect him as he looks to play a part in leading Inverness Caledonian Thistle to victory in their first Scottish Cup final against his old club Falkirk this weekend.
Former Trinidad and Tobago manager Latapy is John Hughes’ assistant in the Highlands but is revered by Falkirk fans after spending six years with them as a player between 2003 and 2009.
Inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2008, that came after he had helped them to promotion three years earlier as they won the First Division title.
Latapy scored seven goals along the way and retains great affection for the team but is focused now on guiding Inverness to silverware instead.
After the Caledonian Stadium club reached its first major cup final in the League Cup last season, they are bidding to go one step further at Hampden Park on Saturday.
Latapy said: "I was involved in Falkirk for a lot of years and I know the mentality of that club. That is the way football goes.
“You represent one colour at one time and then at another time you represent another colour. At this present time, I am employed by Inverness and I have to do my best for this club.
"Another way to put it is that we have never won the cup at Inverness and, if we don't win it, we might have to wait as long as they do.
"It is a culmination of a fantastic season. We deserve to be in the final. We played three Premiership teams in the Cup, which is really hard.
"We now have a good opportunity to show the type of football we have shown all season and hopefully come away with some silverware."
Watch the Scottish Cup Final live on Sky Sports 3 on Saturday - coverage from Hampden Park starts at 2:00pm.
