Celtic v Kilmarnock: Rugby Park heroes remember final triumph of 2012

Dieter Van Tornhout, left, wheels away after his late header put Kilmarnock on the path to cup glory

From scooting about town in an old minibus and neglecting to go full-pelt in training, to falling on knees and delivering the greatest day of their fans' lives.

Kilmarnock's 2012 League Cup final triumph over Celtic will live long in the memory. The final piece of silverware needed for Kilmarnock's trophy cabinet, its acquisition brought euphoria but also a tragic loss which tinged the celebrations.

The Ayrshire side haven't graced the Hampden turf since that day, but are on the cusp of doing so once more against the same team with the same referee in charge.

Ahead of the Viaplay Cup semi-final showdown, BBC Sport Scotland caught up with a couple of men who played their part.

'Kenny was clever, piling the pressure on Celtic' - The underdog status

Celtic were enormous favourites heading to Hampden, they'd won 21 of their past 22 domestic matches, drawing the other. Manager Kenny Shiels heaped the pressure on Neil Lennon's side in a masterstroke of mind games, while the players were enjoying the extraordinary experience of a week leading up to a cup final...

Defender Garry Hay: "Kenny Shiels piled it on at the time, 'Celtic going for the treble, they deserve the treble, they've been outstanding' and all that type of language.

Goalkeeper Cammy Bell: "Kenny used the press brilliantly. There were times he said things he probably shouldn't have and put himself under pressure, but he built all the pressure on Celtic, making sure everyone knew Celtic were favourites by miles. Kilmarnock were pretty much written off but internally, we were using that as fuel."

Manager Kenny Shiels: "The language which we used came to pass, we got it right, we got it nearly exactly right and we got a result when Celtic were the top team in Scotland."

'The longest week of my career' - The build-up

Killie hadn't been in a cup final since the 2007 edition of the competition, so it's fair to say it meant a lot to the town and the players. Unsurprisingly, it was pretty tricky to keep things low-key...

Bell: "Being a smaller club, Kilmarnock had local sponsors, so we were out seeing and visiting them, doing a lot of promotion stuff which was great. Jumping in an old mini-bus was good for morale. I felt as if that was the real sort of making of our team, how close we were and how much it meant to one another."

Hay: "In our confines, it was a challenge to treat it like any other week... you're certainly not going full-pelt in training because nobody wants to get injured! You're so eager for the game, you just want to fast-forward to kick off."

Kilmarnock's players visited the town on cup final week to stir up support

'Stuff that, we'll park the bus!' - The game and that goal

A combination of Shiels' tactics, a man-of-the-match performance from Bell, and a little bit of luck, and Kilmarnock finally got their hands on the elusive League Cup trophy. Substitutes Lee Johnson and Belgian birthday boy Dieter Van Tornhout linked up as the latter bulleted Killie ahead late in the game.

Shiels: "I was trying to put myself in the position of Celtic's central defenders and it worked. Defending against a single striker was easy peasy for them. All of a sudden this team had the audacity to play two up top.

"To take the ball from the back, play through the lines against Celtic and go for it but multiply that when we got into the last 20 minutes of the game... we got it bang on."

Bell: "I was under so much pressure in the game with there being big moments - the Anthony Stokes header was the best save I made in my career.

"Even up to the final moment of the game and Willie Collum didn't give a penalty, people still ask me to this day do I think it was a penalty and I really don't think it was a penalty!"

Hay: "DVT's header was the single greatest feeling I've had on a football pitch. I just dropped to my knees for that wee second to say 'oh my God'.

"I looked at the clock, 84 minutes gone. When we were celebrating, Dean Shiels said 'We don't stop playing, we keep looking to play' and I was like, 'Stuff that! Let's just get everybody behind the ball and we'll park the bus.'"

Cammy Bell made 'the best save of his career' to keep Celtic at bay

'The cup sat in the middle of the Hampden dressing room' - The marred celebrations

On the final whistle, amid the exuberant celebrations, midfielder Liam Kelly's father took a heart attack and passed away in the most unimaginable circumstances. The players were informed after the medal presentation.

Shiels: "The feeling of euphoria and sadness, where we had delivered a trophy but one of our key players' father died on the final whistle. My emotions changed so rapidly that I had to put Liam at the top of my train of thought."

Bell: "We just had to let Liam know we were there for him. The cup that we had worked so hard for, that the club had never, ever won, sat on its own in the middle of a Hampden dressing-room. Every single player was in tears."

Hay: "It was such a joyous occasion, but you'd give it all back if it meant that Liam's father was there longer to spend time with his family."

Bell: "When people come along and tell you you've gave them the best day of their life, that's special for me because those guys have watched millions of games of football for the club they love and I was a part of that game they remember."