Falkirk v Inverness CT: Semi-final that recalls most surprising final

A young Ryan Christie (second right) was part of the winning Caley Thistle side

The unlikeliest Scottish Cup semi-final in years brings back memories of one of its most surprising finals.

Falkirk, currently lying second in League 1, face Championship promotion chasers Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden Park on Saturday in a repeat of their meeting in the 130th Scottish Cup final.

Both clubs were one rung higher up the league ladder back in 2015 and the Highlanders will head to the national stadium again as favourites to repeat that 2-1 success - the first and only time they have lifted the trophy.

John Hughes was Caley Thistle's victorious team boss that day, while Rory Loy had just returned from long-term injury to lead the line for the beaten Bairns.

Here, they look back at that last Hampden meeting - and forward to Saturday's return match.

How the teams squared up

As Hughes is quick to point out, he had not only been part of "the best dressing-room" he ever experienced while playing for Falkirk but had coached the Bairns to their fourth Scottish Cup final, beating Caley Thistle on the way to a 1-0 defeat by Rangers.

Six years later, he was leading an Inverness side to Hampden on the back of "unprecedented" success - having qualified for Europe by finishing third in the Premiership and famously beating a Celtic side cruising to another league title in the semi-final.

"Terry Butcher left me a real good bunch of players," Hughes told BBC Scotland. "I added a little to them, like promoting Ryan Christie from the youths, but I got everything out of them.

"All the boys stayed in Inverness and surrounding areas, so we could create double training sessions as they had nothing else to do up there."

Falkirk had finished fifth in a particularly strong Championship won by Heart of Midlothian ahead of Hibernian, who the Bairns managed to beat in the cup semi-final, and Rangers.

Loy recalls: "We had just missed out on promotion the previous year.

"We were able to concentrate on the cup, but we had four weeks without a competitive game, whereas Inverness, given they were in the Premiership at the time, had games right up until the final, so we went down to Swansea to prepare for the game."

A feat ever to be repeated?

James Vincent scored the winning goal at Hampden in 2015

This season, Caley Thistle have had the luck of the draw - not only earning a reprieve after losing to Queen's Park in the fourth round only for their opponents to be kicked out for playing a suspended player but also by Scotland's two Glasgow giants, Celtic and Rangers, being drawn together in Sunday's second semi-final.

However, back in 2015, Hughes' side had to overcome Ronny Deila's Celtic before marching out into the May sunshine.

"Everyone was expecting us to get beaten," he recalls. "Against Falkirk, it was a whole different ball game.

"Sometimes it can become too much to handle. I just told the players it was there for us to make history, we had to stick to the game plan, play our game and not get caught up in it."

When Aaron Doran, one of two current players from that team, slipped the ball through for Marley Watkins to round goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald and open the scoring for a dominant Caley Thistle after 38 minutes, it looked like it was going to Hughes' plan.

However, when captain Carl Tremarco lost control of a long ball out of Falkirk's defence and pulled down Blair Alston as the midfielder tried to run clear, a red card handed the improving Bairns the momentum with 15 minutes remaining.

Centre-half Peter Grant headed in the equaliser five minutes later, but just as the tie looked destined for extra-time, MacDonald could only parry a Watkins shot on the counter attack and James Vincent turned in what turned out to be the winner with four minutes remaining.

"We were looking to get James Vincent in behind the striker, but more into a midfield role, but after the red card, he had to go in at right-back," Hughes recalls. "How he got from right-back to tap it in at the back post was beyond me.

"It's a historic moment and you say to yourself, will it ever be done again?"

Loy recalls that Falkirk manager Peter Houston had set his side up to contain Caley Thistle in the first half before having a go in the second and, despite going into the dressing room 1-0, "that's pretty much how it panned out".

"The gaffer changed things and we came out a bit more aggressive, Tremarco got sent off and then we scored the equaliser, we were in control of the game," he says.

"But we probably got a bit giddy and too excited. We pushed a lot of men forward to try to get the winner, David McCracken went to press Marley Watkins on the halfway line, he slipped and I know Jamie MacDonald feels he could probably have done better with the goal, but it is difficult to be critical because he was outstanding in the semi-final."

Tight game destined for extra-time?

Coll Donaldson, along with fellow Falkirk centre-half Brad McKay, will be facing their former club

John McGlynn's Falkirk, hoping to become the first third-tier side to reach the final since Gretna in 2006, head to Hampden on a high after a 4-1 derby win away to Alloa Athletic. However, that was only their second win in seven outings that have left them 11 points adrift of Dunfermline Athletic in second place.

Billy Dodds' side, meanwhile, sit third in the second tier above having revived their promotion hopes with a six-game winning run that was only ended by Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to leaders Dundee.

"Falkirk move the ball really well and play the ball out from the back," Loy says. "They don't have a target man up front.

"If Falkirk turn up and play the way they can, and play the way John McGlynn wants them to play, they are a good footballing side."

Hughes thinks experienced Northern Ireland-capped striker Billy Mckay could be pivotal.

"Inverness are playing the better calibre of opposition every week, but although they are in different leagues, there are only eight places that separate them," he points out.

"Falkirk are going to have to keep an eye on Billy Mckay. He is a natural goalscorer. If they can keep Billy quiet, Falkirk might be in with a chance."