King of the goals not tied down this time

A year ago, the skilful forward was cup-tied and had to watch from the stands as his Linlithgow team-mates lifted the trophy. The same thing would have happened again if King had come off the bench for Rose in an earlier round against Clydebank this season.

But, after moving back to Musselburgh, he's played a key role in helping the Olivebank side reach the final and now he is relishing being in the thick of the action on his return to the Ayrshire ground on Sunday.

He's also confident Musselburgh can upset the odds by beating Auchinleck to bring the famous trophy back to East Lothian.

"I went to the final last season and it was a great occasion," said King. "I would love to have been involved but I still enjoyed what was a good day and night.

"I was actually moaning the day Linlithgow played Clydebank that I didn't get on, but it has proved to be a good thing as I wouldn't have been able to play for Musselburgh. Now it is brilliant to get to that stage again."

King's return to the club, coupled with flying machine Paul Tansey also re-signing after a spell at East Fife, came at just the right time for Musselburgh.

The pair have played a crucial role in the cup run, as well as securing the club's spot in the Super League for another season. Indeed, it was King's goal against Kelty a fortnight ago that enabled David McGlynn's men to go into Sunday's showdown without having to worry about the sceptre of relegation.

"It was nice to score such an important goal for the club and it would be great to go on and score the winning goal in the Final as well," admitted a player who will surely have been singled out as a dangerman by Auchinleck due to his bag of tricks.

"This has probably been my best run in the Scottish Cup. I think I've scored in every round since coming back so hopefully I can continue that on Sunday.

"However, it doesn't matter if someone else does that on Sunday as the most important thing is trying to win that trophy.

"We've been able to relax a bit since getting that win against Kelty and have been preparing for the final in training.

"It was so important to secure our place in the Super League as it would have been a terrible feeling going into the final with relegation hanging over our heads.

"If we'd been relegated it could have been a nightmare season for us. We can't wait for the game and we definitely believe we've got a chance. There's no point going into a game like this expecting to get beat – that would be stupid.

"There have been plenty of occasions in the past when the underdogs have come out on top so there's no reason whatsoever why we can't go to Rugby Park believing we can get a result.

"We know Auchinleck are a good side but we are as good as anyone in a one-off game, especially when it comes to a cup tie.

"I think Auchinleck had only picked up one point in four league games recently and that has definitely given us a boost.

"The manager has been to watch them a few times and, based on what he's had to say, I definitely believe we have a chance. I think he will probably try something different for the final. It's a bigger park than we are used to but I am sure he can come up with something that works."

King had just returned to Musselburgh when Auchinleck knocked out Linlithgow after a replay while the Ayrshire giants also beat Bo'ness in the two-legged semi-final.

"Some of the Linlithgow boys have been on the phone to me wishing us luck and saying it might not be as hard to beat Auchinleck as some people are making out," added King.

"To be fair, they've knocked out a lot of the favourites. They'll probably be going into this one thinking it will be one of their easiest games – but I can assure them it definitely won't be."