Sunday 24th May 2020 saw the 23rd anniversary of our famous Scottish Cup win and despite lockdown, the Trust, club and fans came together to mark the occasion in numerous special ways.
The anniversary weekend kicked off on the Friday night with 'The Big Killie Kwiz' being hosted by quiz masters Claire and James Morrison on Facebook, with around 150 fans tuning in to test their ultimate Killie knowledge. We even had special celebrity guests in the form of 97 goal scoring cup hero Paul Wright and Ben Johnston from Biffy Clyro joining us before the evening was rounded off with a rendition of 'Beautiful Sunday' (the sight of James's singing will live long in the memory of all who witnessed it!)
The Saturday saw the official launch of the new 'Killie Histories' podcast, featuring '97 legend Ray Montgomerie talking about 'The Big Match'. Fans were treated to some 'behind the scenes' secrets in the build up to that famous day at Ibrox and learnt about factors key to the Scottish Cup win straight from the cup winning captain himself.
We were delighted with the feedback from the first episode and huge thanks to the Kilmarnock FC Former Players' Association for their support in the development of the podcast series.
Then anniversary day on the Sunday arrived in the form of our 'Lift the Cup' event with some very special guests. Fans were treated to various videos and photos from members of the cup winning 97 squad, including Jim McIntyre, Tom Brown, Monty, Jim Clark, Mark Reilly, Kevin McGowne and son Ethan, Dylan Kerr and David Bagan. Thanks to all of them for taking the time to send in and share their own memories of that special day at Ibrox.
At 5pm our 'Lift the Cup' event started with fans 'lifting the cup' in their own special way 23 years on. We had many kids making their own homemade cups, adults lifting their beers or cups of tea and even impressive photo shopped versions! Families had fun re-creating some of the special key moments from cup final day, with the soaking of manager Bobby Williamson being a favourite! We wonder if the parents have dried off yet after the soaking from their kids…
Supporters also held their own prize-giving ceremonies complete with tinfoil cups and several kids re-created Paul Wright's cup winning goal through video. Fans shared 'before' and 'after' photos from 1997 and 2020 in their original ATMays merchandise, with parents passing down blue and white flags and posting photos of their children waving the same flag that their parents took to the game. Even pets got involved by wearing Killie jester hats and doggie bandanas!
Of course the day would not be complete without the traditional nostalgia of sharing special photos from the day itself, from the build-up to the game, to the goal scoring celebrations to the unforgettable scenes in John Finnie Street as the team bus returned home with the cup. It's no wonder the cup winning squad frequently say that John Finnie Street is their most prominent memory of the 24th May 1997...the scenes on that famous Kilmarnock street that day will be remembered forever by all those lucky enough to be there.
It really was such a special day and it was brilliant to see how, despite a global pandemic, Killie fans all over the world came together to celebrate such a memorable win in the club's history. Thanks to each and every one of you for making the 23rd anniversary so special during lockdown. Fingers crossed we don't have to wait too much longer before the Scottish Cup returns to the Theatre of Pies!