On his only previous visit to Scotland’s national stadium St Johnstone goalkeeper Peter Enckelman witnessed one of the iconic moments of world football Zinedine Zidane’s spectacular volley in the 2002 Champions League final.
It would be a bit much to ask for something similar from a Perth player at Hampden Park in this afternoon’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Motherwell, but any sort of goal which led to any sort of victory would make memories that would be passed down the generations by Saints fans the way the Real Madrid midfielder’s Mount Florida magnificence will be revered by all those who saw it.
Not once since St Johnstone were formed 127 years ago have they had a team which has made it past the semi-final stage. Seven times they’ve been knocked out in the last four.
Enckelman knows that the weight of history is against them but has insisted the class of 2011 are ready to claim their place in Fair City folklore.
He said, “We get used to saying that every game is our biggest game of the season but this one obviously is. There’s a place in a final at stake and the chance to get into Europe.
“I’ve played in cup semi-finals before, most recently for Cardiff against Barnsley. We won that match then lost to Portsmouth in the final.
“The bigger the prize the more the pressure grows. You only need to look at what happened to golfer Rory McIlroy in the Masters to see proof of that.”
He added, “Everybody will be very charged up but we’ll have to keep cool heads as well and try to play it like a normal game.
“We know how important this match is to us as players and to St Johnstone as a club. We’ll give everything to get to the final.”
His first trip to the south side of Glasgow will take a lot of living up to, but the Finnish international is determined to capture another Hampden highlight.’Focused’ SaintsHe said, “The Real Madrid versus Bayer Leverkusen Champions League final was a special game.
“Everybody remembers it and talks about it because of the Zidane volley and I can still remember it clearly.
“Hampden’s got a real bit of character to it and actually reminded me of the old Wembley. It’s been renovated but it’s still got the feeling of the old ground.
“It’s a real football stadium.”
He added, “I’m sure it will be a great occasion, even though the crowd won’t be huge, and hopefully the pitch will be in good condition as well.
“I’m sure it will be a slightly different atmosphere. Hampden’s a big ground and it won’t be full. That might be a bit weird but it won’t matter.
“We’ll be focused and that’s all that matters.”
The one thing that can be almost guaranteed this afternoon, given their outstanding defensive record over the last few months, is that Saints will be hard to break down.
As ever, finding the net themselves may be the issue, but Enckelman is optimistic that it will come good for them in front of goal when it matters most.Scoring confidenceHe said, “I don’t pay too much attention to the number of clean sheets I’ve had but Doc (first-team coach Tony Docherty) is always on about how many black dots are on his board, which represent clean sheets, so I’ve been keeping track of them because he keeps telling me.
“It’s been mentioned many times that it’s down to the whole team, from attackers through to me. Obviously the backline gets the credit for it but the whole team deserve it for working hard.
“That’s what we are a hard-working team. Everything stems from that. It’s just unfortunate that hard work is not being rewarded with goals just now but there’s no better time for that to change than a cup semi-final.”
Saints boss Derek McInnes will make late decisions on the fitness of Steven Anderson, Chris Millar, Jody Morris and Kevin Moon.
He has called on his players to take full advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
He said, “We have got close to reaching finals in my time here and this is another chance for us. This is probably the best one we have had.
“No St Johnstone team has done it before. That is an added incentive rather than extra pressure.”
He added, “When you are working at any club you want to give it your best shot and be remembered for the right reasons. This team, these players, have an opportunity to be remembered. Hopefully we can grasp it.
Motherwell manager Stuart McCall hopes to have a full squad to choose from.
Gavin Gunning has recovered from a shoulder injury while Francis Jeffers is expected shake off a hamstring problem.
Steve Jennings returns from suspension and Keith Lasley and John Sutton are expected to come back into the starting line-up after being rested for the draw at Hearts.