St Johnstone midfielder Craig Bryson hopes it will be third time lucky as he bids to bring the curtain down on his 17-year career with a first ever winner’s medal.
The 34-year-old veteran is closing in on 600 career appearances but so far has nothing by way of silverware to show for it.
He did reach the final of the Challenge Cup with Clyde back in 2006 but suffered his first taste of heartache as the Bully Wee lost out to Ross County on penalties.
Bryson then quit Kilmarnock eight months before they tasted League Cup glory in 2012 as he moved south to Derby.
But there was only more disappointment in store with the Rams as they missed out on a place in the Premier League after being edged out by QPR in the 2014 play-off final.
Now back in Scotland with Saints, Bryson – who still has to manage a persistent ankle issue – knows his career is winding down.
And that is why he plans to make the most of what could be his last chance to finally get his hands on a trophy in next month’s Betfred Cup final against Livingston.
“You can get carried away when you’re young,” admitted Bryson. “Because I played in that Challenge Cup final with Clyde when I was 22, you think it will happen a lot more.
“But the older you get the more you realise you don’t get to play in semi-finals and finals that often.
“So when you do, you have to grab the chance with both hands. That’s what the gaffer said to us before the semi-final with Hibs at Hampden.
“I’ve played in two finals before – and lost two.
“Hopefully it will be third time lucky in the Betfred final.
“I was also injured for another play-off final unfortunately (against Aston Villa in 2019). We lost that one too, so that was another excellent occasion. Hopefully I’ve got more luck at Hampden than I do at Wembley, let’s put it that way.
“Growing up, these are the kind of games you want to play in. At my age now, this could potentially be the last final I play in so to end my career with a trophy and a medal would be amazing.”
Bryson will return to Rugby Park on Saturday and says it is vital Saints do not allow themselves to be distracted as they aim to climb away from the relegation battle.
The Perth outfit sit level with Killie just four points above the bottom two and while they are undefeated in six games, they have only managed two wins during that run.
“We can only use the fact we have cup final places up for grabs to our benefit,” he said. “But we have to put the actual game itself on the back burner.
“We’ve got a good few league games coming up and we really need the points to move up the table.
“We believe we can finish in the top six this season but we need to turn performances into wins.”
