As we mark the 10th anniversary of Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s unforgettable 2015 Scottish Cup victory, former manager John Hughes spoke to ictfc.com to reflect on that remarkable achievement.  

On the Anniversary & Legacy

“It seems like yesterday! If this had happened down in England, there’d have been a documentary about it. It was unprecedented, a club from the Highlands, after 21 years, going on to win the Scottish Cup. You couldn’t write the script.”

“When I think about winning the Scottish Cup, I think about my whole time at Inverness. It was a great place to be, you were left to focus on the football. I was lucky because I inherited a lot of good players from Terry Butcher. My job was to put my stamp on it.”

Learning from the Past

“The year before was a great learning curve, playing Aberdeen in the League Cup Final. That disappointment fuelled us – we used it as motivation, and the next season was our year.”

“It started with a great pre-season, no injuries, and everything I wanted in terms of how we played came together. We beat Celtic at home in our second match, so the seeds were planted for a remarkable season.”

The Team Spirit

“It was made easy for me by a great bunch of boys in the dressing room. These guys won the Scottish Cup – I just guided them. Everyone played their part, from Chairman Kenny Cameron to Kristine at the front desk, John Doc the kitman, and everybody at the club.”  

The Scottish Cup Run 

First was St Mirren – they were 1-0 up, and I told my assistants we just needed an equaliser to take them back to our place. We scored, and won the replay 4-0.”

“Then we faced Partick Thistle, they were our bogey team at the time, but we went to Firhill and won 2-1.”

Then came Raith Rovers…

“Big Danny Devine – who didn’t score many – popped up at the back post, and we won 1-0 from a set-piece. That’s when I thought, ‘Our name might be on this cup.’ Everything was falling into place, and we stayed relatively injury-free – Richie Foran had shoulder and knee issues, but he was always around the dressing room.”  

The Semi-Final: Beating Celtic

“We went in as massive underdogs but knew we could compete after beating them earlier that season. We got a bit of luck with Josh’s handball, nowadays with VAR he’d have been sent off, and it would’ve been much harder.”

“The winning goal was special – Shinnie up the left, cutting inside, crossing to David Raven smashing it in. That was straight off the training pitch. As a coach, seeing that in a high-pressure game was so rewarding.”  

The Final: Overcoming Falkirk

“Suddenly, we were favourites. Falkirk were in the First Division, we were in the Premiership – the pressure shifted. Personally, I felt we had everything to lose, but the boys handled it brilliantly.”

What did you learn from the previous year’s League Cup Final preparations?  

“We stayed down three days before, trained at Livingston’s stadium, and had leaders like Gary Warren and Richie Foran around the squad – even though they were injured or suspended, their presence was massive.”  

Any tough selection calls? 

“I had to choose between Danny Williams and Aaron Doran – I went with Doran, and thankfully he set up Marley Watkins’ opener. David Raven was struggling with injury – he was honest enough to say he wasn’t fit and didn’t want to take someone else’s place. That’s the professionalism we had.”

And then James Vincent’s winner…

“We were cruising in the first half, but Falkirk came back strong. Carl Tremarco got sent off, I moved James Vincent to right-back, and he ended up scoring the winner. He could’ve left when I arrived, but he stayed – now he’s immortalised in Inverness history.”  

Final Thoughts

“It was a fairytale. The whole journey – the players, the staff, the fans – everyone played their part. Ten years on, it’s still something we can all be incredibly proud of.”