Celtic v Kilmarnock: Rory McKenzie relishing Hampden chance after watching 2012 final in stands

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Rory McKenzie sat in the stands the last time Kilmarnock were at Hampden – and now he gets to walk out in front of thousands of fans at the national stadium.

The Rugby Park star was out on loan at Brechin when the Ayrshire side defeated Celtic back in 2012, and he watched from the stands with the rest of the youth team.McKenzie admits he imagined all of his teammates sitting watching would one day be part of a Killie team at Hampden, but 11 years on and a lot of near-misses later, only McKenzie remains from that squad.Speaking ahead of the final, McKenzie said: "I was on loan at Brechin.

I was at the game, all the youth team lads got tickets. We were sat in the corner next to where Lee Johnson put the cross in.

The side from which we scored."I think they came and celebrated in that corner so it was a great day. We weren’t part of the celebrations afterwards but it was a massive day for Killie and a shame to miss out on."He added: "I was probably thinking like the rest of the lads we’d be doing it together then through the years people trickle away."From that team there are only one or two still playing so it’s nice to be a part of things now.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android."I can only think of one or two still in the professional game.