Musselburgh ready for 'mission impossible'

You will struggle to find anyone outside Musselburgh who thinks 'Burgh can win this, their first final. Facing Talbot, in Ayrshire - no chance, is received wisdom. But still, fans wearing silly hats, singing along to local group Yard of Ale's special cup final song 'Mon the Burgh will head West.

The town hasn't known Junior Cup success since the now-defunct Musselburgh Bruntonians beat Arniston Rangers 2-0 in 1923. Tomorrow more than 30 buses have already been hired and 'Burgh officials are confident of filling Rugby Park's main stand for what has become a mass day out for the town. Entire families will be there for an occasion which enforces the junior's status as genuine community football and hoping for another win for the Honest Toun.

'Burgh's cup journey was more a case of travelling hopefully, even diehard committee-men are pinching themselves at reaching it - but they have now arrived in the final and are determined to enjoy their unexpected big day out.

After a first-round bye, the journey began with a 6-0 win at Forres Thistle. Then came the protracted "winter break" through bad weather and it was 5 February before 'Burgh got their second-round tie played; this time a 5-1 win over Stoneyburn. Broughty Athletic were thumped 3-0 but it was only after they despatched Renfrew 5-0 at their own Olivebank in the last 16, that dreams of the final began to emerge.

They got past Kilbirnie Ladeside in the quarter-final, a 2-0 scoreline taking 'Burgh into the semi-final, where they faced another unfancied side, Dalry Thistle. 'Burgh won the first of the two semi-final legs, at Olivebank, 1-0, before surviving a torrid time at Merksworth Park, where Thistle missed a penalty before a 1-1 draw took Musselburgh into the final.

Since then, they have secured their place in the East of Scotland Super League for next season - they will finish in mid-table, now comes the big test - the final. When it comes to winning the huge Scottish Junior Cup, nobody does it better - or more-regularly than Talbot. The first of their record eight Scottish Cup wins, came against Petershill in 1949. But it wasn't until the 1980s, under the management of the legendary Willie Knox, that Talbot became the top team in junior football. Pollok were beaten 3-2 at Hampden in 1986, Kilbirnie were overcome the following year, with Petershill failing to prevent an unprecedented three-in-a-row triumph in 1988.

Back-to-back victories over Newtongrange Star and near-neighbours Glenafton Athletic, managed by Alan Rough, followed in 1991 and 1992.Then Knox departed and a decade of close-but-no-cigar capped by losing 1-0 to Linlithgow Rose in 2002 followed, before win number seven came, at the expense of Bathgate Thistle in 2006. Clydebank were then beaten 2-1 in 2009 for Talbot's eighth Scottish Cup win - ominously for Musselburgh, four of them at Rugby Park.

These two victories in this millennium have been masterminded by boss Tommy Sloan, who will be back in the dug-out tomorrow. He has a nucleus of the winning 2006 and 2009 squads with him. This season they began with straight-forward wins, 4-1 at home to Kirkcaldy YMCA and 5-0 away to Dundonald Bluebell in the first two rounds.

Round three paired Talbot with holders Linlithgow Rose, the only side to beat them in a Scottish Junior Cup final. They drew 2-2 at Linlithgow, before Talbot won the replay 2-1 back at Beechwood Park. Their reward, a local derby with Cumnock and an easy 3-0 win in a game during which the mutual hatred of their fans spilled over into much-publicised rioting.

Sauchie were comfortably put to the sword, 4-1 at Beechwood, before, in what everyone in Ayrshire called: "the final before the final", Talbot beat Irvine Meadow 3-1 at Meadow Park. In the semi-final they crushed East League leaders Bo'ness United 5-1 on aggregate. Talbot are course and distance winners, they've effectively got home advantage. It's a foregone conclusion, isn't it?

Don't say that around Olivebank, however. 'Burgh's 2011 squad might lack a Willie Bauld, "the King" of Tynecastle being the club's most famous product - others include Hearts assistant manager Billy Brown and Dundee United's Scott Severin, and they don't have a John White, Musselburgh's greatest football son - but current 'Burgh midfielder Alan Morgan tomorrow returns to the home dressing-room he got to know so well while playing for Killie. They are rank outsiders, but, in a one-off match, anything can happen.

Realistically, the final is Talbot's to lose and Sloan's problem could be convincing his men they have to do more than simply turn-up.Musselburgh will give them a hard game, who knows, come 5pm tomorrow manager Davie McGlynn could emulate his Uncle John, the Raith Rovers manager and Scottish PFA Manager of the Year, by getting his hands on a trophy.

Uncle John once managed 'Burgh, Davie's dad Charlie is club chairman and the 35-year-old boss, whose influences include Jim Jefferies, Billy Brown, John Blackley and Peter Houston, will not be happy with simply reaching the final.

"We're in it and I want to win it," he says.

"Of course Talbot are favourites, but this is my tenth cup final since I became manager, we've won six of these and I believe we have the players who can hurt Talbot tomorrow.

"Yes, we've surprised a lot of people by getting to the final, we will respect them, we will be professional and I think we can do a job".

McGlynn has a full squad to pick from, apart from full back Steve Noble, who is away on holiday - perhaps an indication of exactly how much of a shock their cup final appearance is - but McGlynn is planning a bigger one, a 'Burgh victory.