Motherwell ace Andy Rose: We owe Celtic one in Scottish Cup final

Australian ace Rose, speaking after ’Well brushed aside Aberdeen 3-0 in Saturday’s semi-final, would love to avenge their 2-0 defeat to the Hoops in November’s Betfred Cup final when the sides meet again on May 19.

“We certainly feel that we’ve been unlucky a couple of times against Celtic this season,” said the 28-year-old former Coventry City ace.

“To get them one more time and have one last crack at them is awesome. We’re so, so excited.

“It’s going to be a tough test and one we can’t wait to start preparing for.

“We all feel a deep attachment to this football club, it’s a fantastic club.

“The people really take care of each other here.

“I’ve been to places where that’s not the case.

“It’s been a special season and now maybe we can reach another goal which is winning something.

“As a player you only get so many chances to step out in cup finals and we’ll be doing absolutely everything in our power until that day to make sure we’re well prepared.”

Rose is part of only the second Motherwell team in history to reach two finals in the same season. The other instance was season 1950-’51.

“It’s incredible getting to Hampden and for finals twice this season,” he added. “I think we all feel that we let ourselves down a bit not getting into the top six because that was such a big goal of ours.

“We just felt the best way to make up for that was to get into another cup final to give us the best chance of going and winning a final.

“Across the board everybody pulled their weight. Obviously we were missing a big player for us, Carl McHugh, and they were missing a few players too.

“But we played our game. It was a really great week’s training.

“I think probably one of the best weeks of training and obviously everybody really wants to be in the team.

“The intensity was absolutely flying and I think that carried through onto the pitch.

“We really stuck to basics, stuck to what we’re good at and I think we were a bit much for them on the day.

“Obviously it was a fantastic day. For the fans and the club we’re so excited and we can’t wait for the final.”

Although Motherwell lost prolific striker Louis Moult earlier this season, his replacement Curtis Main has been in wonderful form and netted a double in the win over Aberdeen.

“This club is also a platform to get to bigger and better things,” Rose added.

“That’s what Louis did. He performed on a consistent basis here and now he’s getting paid an awful lot of money down south.

“Curtis has come up, it’s not easy replacing Louis and he’s settled in really well and he’s a real handful.

“Especially him with Ryan Bowman up there together.

“The ball really sticks to them.

“They brought the midfielders into the game and took the goals well.”

Rose also outlined his delight at key men Richard Tait, Cedric Kipre, Charles Dunne and Ryan Bowman all signing contract extensions this week.

The first three are now tied down until summer 2020, with Bowman sticking around until summer 2019.

“It was brilliant that the boys signed,” Rose said. “I’m so excited for all four of them.

“They are thoroughly deserved new deals. One thing we’ve built here and a big reason why a lot of us wanted to come here was because of the type of characters we have in the dressing room.

“I think you saw it there at the final whistle just how excited everyone is just for each other, even the guys on the bench or not even in the squad.

“It’s a really close group.

“There’s been some really consistent performances from a lot of the boys throughout the entire season which is a credit to the manager.

“Probably the one standout is Trevor Carson. Apart from him, Richard Tait and Cedric Kipre have probably separated themselves.

“Cedric is a young player. It’s his first season in men’s football and you can really see him going right to the very top.

“He’s got so much ability and the type of person he is, the character he is, he works hard and takes care of his body. He does all the little things that you need to make it to the highest level.

“And today was just another example of how good a player he is.

“I’m also so excited that Carl McHugh gets to lead us out for the final now as he was gutted that he missed out on today.”

Rose himself only signed a one-year deal with ’Well after leaving Coventry last summer, so the Times and Speaker asked him his footballing plans for this summer and beyond.

“We’ll wait and see,” Rose said. “I’ve had a few talks with the gaffer.

“I absolutely love it here.

“I’m really enjoying my football at the moment with all my team-mates and it’s a great place to play football.

“We’ll see how the next few weeks go. Obviously now we’ve got something fantastic to look forward to.

“I’m sure we’ll keep talking and we’ll see what happens.”