ARTHURLIE captain Mark Docherty reckons the only person looking forward to the Scottish Junior Cup Final more than him is his son.

‘Sparky’ will lead the Barrhead men out at Broadwood on Sunday as they aim to capture the famous trophy for the first time since 1998.

The 36-year-old utility player and his team-mates will be looking to finish a disappointing season on a high, having been relegated from the Premier Division by one point, despite an impressive string of results in the run-in that saw them lose just once in their last 10 games.

Docherty is one of the more experienced heads in the Arthurlie dressing room, with more than 500 appearances in the SPFL for the likes of Alloa Athletic, Dumbarton and East Fife under his belt.

He played for Alloa in the Petrofac Training Cup Final against Livingston nine years ago and, although his team suffered a 4-0 defeat, the match still holds a special place in his heart, for one particular reason.

Docherty told Barrhead Sport: “It’s been an up and down season, with us finishing in the bottom three, but across the piece it’s been enjoyable.

“It’s my first experience of playing at this level but I’ve enjoyed it. I’m the old pro now, driving the younger guys on and offering them advice.

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“To go and get to the final is exciting and it’ll be a big day for the boys. For a lot of them, it will be the biggest game of their career.

"It’s a game I’m looking forward to and I’ve got the buzz in my belly. It’s an occasion to savour and look back on and I’m maybe not going to have many of these games left, so I need to go and enjoy it.

“I played in the final against Livingston in the Petrofac Cup, which was a massive occasion for me and Alloa at the time.

“That also happened to be my son Kerr's first ever game.

“He was only one and my wife brought him and now he’s coming up to 10 and he’s coming to another one. He’s more buzzing about it than me, so I’m looking forward it to for him as well.”

The Arthurlie faithful are set to turn out in their thousands on Sunday, with club officials estimating around 1,500 tickets have already been sold.

Docherty said it has been great to see so many members of the local community getting behind the team – and he hopes they can be rewarded with silverware.

He added: “They’re talking about having nearly 2,000 supporters in the Arthurlie end, which would be brilliant.

"There are 10 to 15 buses seeing us off on the day as well, which is great.

“The town of Barrhead is getting right behind us. There are posters all about the town.

“It’s a day for the fans and a day for the club and hopefully we can go and create a bit of history and I can be the captain who lifts that cup.”