The League Cup: Thomson seeks final atonement

AS A KEY member of the young Hibs side which defeated both halves of the Old Firm en route to the 2004 League Cup final, Kevin Thomson would have been forgiven for believing the competition would go on to earn a special place in his heart. But while that run may have helped cement his place in the public consciousness, he lost the Hampden showdown and the tournament has hardly been killing him with kindness since.

"To start with it was quite a good competition for me. I remember one of the first big bits of publicity I got was for scoring against Celtic (in the quarter-final] when I was at Hibs the season we got to the final," says the 25-year-old Rangers midfielder. "We got there in a fairytale type way, beating Celtic and then defeating Rangers (in the semi-final]. We took a big support, having not won a cup for so long and then the final came along and I had the disappointment of not winning (Livingston won 2-0].

"I never hid how much I loved the club and how much I appreciated them giving me an opportunity. I was part of a good group of boys that had come through and it was exciting time for us and all the Hibs supporters. To have won a trophy with Hibs for me and for my family would have been a huge landmark in my career so it was a disappointing day, but since I've moved to Rangers we've had the disappointment of Manchester (where Rangers lost the UEFA Cup final] and there have been other big disappointments. These things happen in careers, you have highs, you have lows."

Since that upset against Livingston, Thomson helped Hibs reach the semi-finals of the same competition in season 2006-07, but then moved to Ibrox, missing out when his former team-mates went on to win both the semi and the final and lift a trophy for the first time in 16 years. The following two seasons saw his new club Rangers reach the final twice but he was an unused sub as they defeated Dundee United on penalties in 2008 and was out injured when they lost to Celtic last term.

"I've missed a couple since coming here. The one I was on the bench when we beat Dundee United was my first winners' medal, but it was a bit disappointing, too, in that I never got on the park."

Which is why he is so anxious to play a pivotal role in this afternoon's Co-operative Insurance Cup final, against St Mirren. "If you ask any player that receives a winners' medal without being involved it's a bit disappointing. That year was a wee bit of an anti-climax for me. It didn't have the same shine on it because I was an unused substitute. It's a wee bit harder to celebrate when you're not involved in the game, but I certainly cherish my winners' medal. Everyone speaks about winners' medals and I'm desperate to get as many as I can."

Which is why he can live with the reality that, having come so close in 2004 with Hibs, he missed out by a matter of months when the cup did finally return to Leith. He recognises the opportunity he relinquished by moving midway through a season and although he was a bag of mixed emotions the day Hibs pummelled Kilmarnock 5-1 in the 2007 final, he says the trophies and the experiences he is in the process of racking up at Rangers mean he has never regretted his move to Ibrox.

"I wouldn't have changed the facts. I had to give up my opportunity of winning a cup with Hibs for a move to Rangers. It was just part and parcel of that. It would have been great if I'd stayed and been a part of the team with all my mates and won the cup. I'd played in the previous rounds, including Hearts in the quarters, probably the toughest tie the boys had, but I missed the semi-final and final. So it was disappointing. On the Sunday I went down (to his parents' home in] Peebles and sent the boys a message wishing them all the best. It would have been great for me to have been there and won a cup with Hibs. I've never hid the fact I wanted to achieve that, but I didn't go to watch.

"To be honest I never even watched it on television. I kept on getting text messages telling me the score. It was a day of mixed emotions. I was delighted for them, but a wee bit sad I wasn't involved, but I would never change the fact that I sacrificed that opportunity to come here.

"Since then I've won the Scottish Cup, I've got a UEFA Cup losers' medal and not many people can claim that. I've got a League Cup winners' medal and we're pushing for all three trophies this year so I'm hoping, come the summer, I'll have more medals in my collection."

And, with today's final, the competition which has given him some of the biggest highs and lows of his career, will either set him on his way to a possible treble or kill the dream before it has the chance to evolve.