Call it kismet or fate but the fact St Johnstone will face Dundee United May 17 has convinced thousands of Saints fans that it is a date with destiny.
The reason, as everyone connected with the Perth club knows, is that talismanic striker Stevie May wears the No 17 jersey, a sure sign that St Johnstone’s name will be engraved on the famous old trophy as winners of the 2014 William Hill Scottish Cup final.
May himself though insists that omens count for nothing and that it is all about what the players do on the pitch that will ensure the club’s long wait for a piece of majorsilverware is finally brought to an end.
However, while adopting a pragmatic approach to the whole “May 17” indicator, the player did jokingly admit that he would not have minded having a piece of the action when it came to cashing in on the merchandising.
He said: “No one even noticed it until after the semi. I think it was the first question I was asked after it. It’s a nice little coincidence but I’m not superstitious at all.
“I would probably say superstitions are a mentally weak thing to think about. It’s down to us at the end of the day. Nothing is going to win us the game apart from ourselves.
“I wouldn’t read too much into things like that. It’s nice and I think anyone would say that. But it will count for nothing if we actually manage to lift the trophy.
“If we do win, I don’t know if I’ll hand the jersey over. I’d need to see how I felt. I wish I was getting a cut of the merchandise! I’ve missed out massively.
“I should have made my own T-shirts and sold them.”
May, of course, has already had an incredible season, in what is his first full campaign in the top tier of the Scottish game, netting 27 goals.
However, he admits he would swap everything he has achieved so far for a Scottish Cup winner’s medal.
May added: “To be honest, when I’m thinking about the game, it’s nothing but excitement about the possibility of getting our hands on the trophy.
“It’s not nerves at all. It’s a massive occasion but it’s one we’re looking forward to. The only thing I get nervous about is speeches. That’s about it.
“If someone had said to me at the start of the season that come the end of it I would be in a Scottish Cup final having scored 27 goals, I don’t think I’d have been able to take them seriously.
“It’s been a season of my dreams. But I’d exchange all that for winning the Scottish Cup that’s the main point of this season now.
“It’s a massive occasion, not just for the boys playing in it and the fans, but for Perth as a city. Aside from my parents, I would most like to win it for myself.
“I’ve wanted to do well for years and years and to get my hands on that trophy would make it all worthwhile.
“Obviously I’d be really happy for my parents but I’d like to win it on a personal note. I’d always be able to look back on the day we won the Scottish Cup.
May continued: “So many people have approached me in Perth older and younger saying they’ve never seen this and the buzz around the city. It’s something special. That’s now. I can only imagine how that’s going to blow up if we manage to win it. But we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for so many. There are guys in our team who are coming towards the end of their careers who haven’t played in a Scottish Cup final.
“We know how much it means to everyone and how little chance you get for these opportunities. We’re going into it with good spirits and are going to relish it.
“There are a lot of people including a lot of young kids who will be at a game for the first time.
“Hopefully we can play well enough that they think they could get used to watching this and it could attract some more season ticket holders next season and who knows from then.
“If you have got a passion for football and you want to play, you are going to do it. It’s irrelevant to how your team is performing. You never know.”
May’s meteoric rise is perhaps even more remarkable considering that he didn’t play football at his secondary school, Bell Baxter in Cupar.
He added: “I was a St Johnstone fan as a boy. I was born in Perth but my mum and dad live in Newburgh which is 10 miles outwith the city so I wasn’t really in and around the city at a young age.
“I was more brought up in the country. I’d a park along the road from me where I used to play. I joined St Johnstone when I was about 11 or 12 and started coming along to all the games.
“There wasn’t too many at school who were St Johnstone fans mostly Celtic and Rangers.
“The school I went to was a rugby one I was the only person signed up out of 1,800 to a football club. It was renowned for everyone playing rugby.
“I never really played rugby. I played a few times and I was all right because I was fast but that was as far as it went.
“The school had a football team but I never played for it until I was in fourth year just because I had enough training with St Johnstone and it was hard with the games being on Saturdays and Sundays.
“Once I was older, it was OK to do it.”