Former Huddersfield Town football operations chief Ross Wilson and one-time academy coach Steve Marsella will both be keeping close tabs on Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.
Marsella, a 48-year-old from Fartown, is a former goalkeeping coach and chief scout at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who face Falkirk, where Wilson began his career, at Hampden.
While Marsella left the Inverness in November 2013, he was responsible for signing the bulk of the side who will take on the Bairns.
The Highlands club, now managed by former Falkirk gaffer John Hughes, were formed in 1994 by the merger of two of the city’s three clubs Caledonian and Thistle (Clachnacuddin are still going it alone).
Caley Thistle have just earned entry into European competition for the first time after finishing third in the Scottish Premiership.
Now they are seeking a first major trophy having lost out to Aberdeen in last season’s Scottish League Cup final.
St Mirren, Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers and Celtic have been accounted for en route to Hampden.
Eight of the XI who started in the 3-2 win over Celtic were recruited by Marsella, a former All Saints student and Huddersfield Town academy coach.
An ex-Elgin City keeper, he was the unheralded third member of a management team led by former Ipswich, Rangers and England defender Terry Butcher and also including ex-Dundee United and Scotland midfielder and captain Maurice Malpas.
Marsella, who scoured the English lower and non-leagues for talent, followed Butcher to Hibernian in 2013 and is being tipped to join his management team at League II Newport County.
He has spent this season scouting for Town’s Championship rivals Bolton Wanderers and working as goalkeeping coach at Grimsby Town.
“I’ve moved on since Inverness, but they are a club I still hold in high esteem,” he explained. “I had almost five years there and it’s great to see many of the players we brought in still there and doing so well.
“It would be fantastic to see them win the Scottish Cup.”
Wilson is very much in the opposite corner.
Now director of scouting and recruitment at Premier League Southampton, he is a lifelong Falkirk fan and began his career working for the club, who have just finished fifth in the Scottish First Division under Peter Houston.
Wilson, 32, who has also worked for Watford, played a key role in developing Falkirk’s renowned academy, which produced current Town defender Murray Wallace and former midfielder Scott Arfield.
He formed a strong relationship with Hughes when the Inverness boss who is better known at Yogi was at Falkirk.
“I’m delighted to see Yogi in the final, but I have no divided loyalties,” said Wilson.
“I was born and brought up in Falkirk and there is only one team I am going to be supporting.
“And there is only one team I want to win.”
