Killie Reach League Cup Final
For the First Time in 28 Years!

Kilmarnock 3 St Mirren 0
(CIS Cup Semi Final, Hampden Park, Feb 6th, 2001)

Where were you on the evening of Feb 6th 2001? I was traveling from my home and called my brother Graeme...with about 6 min's left to go in the match, as soon as he answered his mobile phone at the match...I knew Killie were through as all I could hear was nothing but "Paper Roses" belting out in the background ! The rest is history......................

Killie's poor league form had been showing over the prior weeks but in Dargo and McLaren they had the sort of cutting edge that Tom Hendrie's relegation battlers simply did not possess.

Saints had the game's first real chance though when Mark Yardley outjumped two defenders to head narrowly wide and his height was to be a factor in the proceedings.

But so too were the speed and mobility of Killie's McLaren and Dargo, with the former giving their side a half-time lead.

Saints began well and Paul Rudden showed skills worthy of such an arena, albeit a barely-filled one, when he flicked the ball between two challengers to scamper clear. His layback was inviting for Gary Bowman to fire in a shot but he delayed and his eventual effort was weak.

McLaren had a great chance soon after when he gave the Saints backline the slip to arrive on the end of a long ball into the box but his header was mistimed and bounced off the turf into the hands of Ludovic Roy.

It took Saints half an hour to win their first corner but that almost resulted in the opening goal, when Yardley flicked on at the near post to send the ball goalward near the other upright but Ally Mitchell was stationed for just such an eventuality and nodded clear.

Dargo had already used his pace to fire in a shot that flew over and he sent in another effort on the turn that Roy managed to gather.

Acting skipper Gus MacPherson was also having a few potshots and he too forced Roy into action.

But it was to be McLaren, the man who watched last year's final drying out in Glasgow's Priory Clinic, who made the most significant contribution to the half.

He had gone close just before when a ponderous Saints corner allowed a lightning counter attack that saw him fire across goal and just wide.

But when Paul Wright crossed from the right Andy McLaren (see photo right) made sure he was there first and his header this time had the beating of a stationary goalkeeper.

Another corner at the Killie end was eventually to be Saints undoing with Dargo netting his memorable clincher.

The former Raith man had already shown Saints he could motor and a curling effort early in the second half hinted he had an eye for that portion of the goal as well.