IF LEE McCulloch felt all of his childhood dreams had been fulfilled when he scored on his debut for Rangers against Zeta last July, even his wildest fantasies could not have conjured up the scenario ahead of him in Manchester tomorrow night.
The Scotland international will celebrate his 30th birthday as part of an Ibrox side on the verge of earning iconic status at their club as they face Zenit St Petersburg in the Uefa Cup final.
A year ago today, McCulloch was playing for a Wigan At
hletic team who retained top flight status in England with victory over Sheffield United in their last match of the season. It proved to be his final game for the Lancashire outfit, although not before a protracted transfer saga concluded with his move to the team he supported as a boy.
McCulloch has become a prized and trusted asset for Rangers manager Walter Smith who is delighted to have him available for selection tomorrow night, just four weeks after the player sustained a foot injury at Celtic Park which it was initially believed had ended his season prematurely.
"This is dream stuff for me," said McCulloch. "I could never have imagined this last summer, it was a million miles away from my mind.
"The transfer to Rangers was on and off on a daily basis. One day the Wigan manager (Paul Jewell] was letting me go, the next day he wasn't. We fell out quite a few times, but that's in the past now and he even sent me a text last week asking for a ticket for the final.
"Rangers ended up paying too much money for me, but it was out of my hands. All I can do is work hard to try and repay them and if we win all four trophies this season, then it will have been worth it.
"When we started out against Zeta last year, it was just about getting into the Champions League which we managed to do. When we lost 3-0 to Lyon at Ibrox in the final game of the group stage, it was the lowest point of the season and the boys took a bit of stick for it when we dropped into the Uefa Cup. But to get to the final is a great achievement and if we can get our hands on the trophy it will be brilliant.
"Two weeks ago, I thought my season was over. I was told by the medical team and a specialist that my foot was broken. A couple of days later, the swelling went down and I went for a scan. They discovered it wasn't broken, it was bruising of the bone and they gave me a wee bit of hope. To come back so quickly has been brilliant for me, to be able to train and get my fitness back.
"Last year, I was fighting relegation and that is hellish. It is a pressure you don't want. I don't see what is happening at Rangers just now as pressure – it is excitement. We have to enjoy the day. Everyone's families are going down to the game, it will be a special day. If we succeed in winning the trophy, it will go down in history as the best ever."
McCulloch is one of the Rangers players with previous experience of the City of Manchester Stadium, boasting an undefeated recorded there during his time with Wigan. In March 2006, he scored the only goal of one Premiership victory at Manchester City's home.
"I don't really believe in omens or stuff like that," he said, "but I've never been beaten there, I've scored there and the final is also on my birthday. So it's all looking good!
"It's going to be tough because Zenit are a top quality team as they showed against Bayern in the semi-final. We will need to the kind of performance we have almost always produced in Europe this season. We will need to work hard as a team, be hard to beat and try to score on the break. We will need to start the game well.
"We can do it. I've never know a team spirit like the one this team has. Even when we are not playing well, we manage to grind out results."
The full article contains 729 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
