ALBA Cup Final: Defeat to Queen of the South in 2008 hurt - I want to even the score now

APRIL 12, 2008 was the day Jimmy Calderwood was supposed to feel like a King.

Instead Calderwood and his red-hot favourites Aberdeen were given a right royal humbling by Queen of the South as they slumped to a 4-3 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat at Hampden.

Calderwood admits that the experience was the worst point in his career in football.

The date is forever etched in his mind - but don't ask him about the days that followed the painful loss as he locked himself away in his house.

Calderwood said: "That defeat to Queen of the South when I was manager of Aberdeen is definitely my lowest point in football.

"I would not wish an experience like that on my worst enemies.

"It was such a sore one to take as Aberdeen had knocked Celtic out in the previous round and we were the overwhelming favourites to go through.

"But we never turned up on the day and ended up losing 4-3.

"I was dropped for a League Cup Final when I was a player at Birmingham many years ago but that doesn't even compare to that loss to Queens.

"Every time they scored and we pegged it back I thought we would go on and win the match.

"After losing it was a long journey home to Aberdeen and I locked myself away in the house for the next two days.

"I was in a state of shock and walked about in a trance.

"I just couldn't get my head round it and didn't know where I was."

Calderwood has the chance to put one over Queens this weekend when his Ross County side look to beat the Palmerston men to lift the ALBA Challenge Cup.

But Calderwood doesn't see it as revenge mission or the chance to exorcise any demons.

He is a football man through and through and like any cup final, Calderwood simply just wants to win - no matter the opposition.

Calderwood said: "I am not superstitious at all but I knew when I took the Ross County job that we would be playing Queen of the South in the cup final.

"It is not a revenge mission for me but it is a game that myself and the players are just desperate to win.

"Football throws up these quirks of fate all the time.

"In my first game back as Ross County manager it was against my old club Dunfermline.

"And our final game this season will be against my old Aberdeen assistant boss Jimmy Nicholl and his Cowdenbeath side. You can't write things like that.

"We lost 2-1 at home to Queens a few weeks ago and they did very well - we didn't get near them. If we play like we did against them that day then we could well be on the receiving end of another defeat.

"But this is a cup final and a break from the pressures of the league.

"We are in the final on merit and hope to really enjoy the day by winning it for the supporters more than anything. I understand we are bringing a huge number of fans through to Perth for the game and we want to do our best for them."

The former Dunfermline, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss is loving being back in the dugout after a spell out the game when his days in charge at Rugby Park came to an end.

He added: "It's great being a manager again and I came to this club because of the chairman. County are a well-run club and we have a great set of players.

"But we must have been underachieving judging from the league position that we find ourselves in.

"I'm enjoying it and love being back involved in the game.

"Hopefully I can enjoy it even more come Sunday but I know how difficult opponents Queen's will be.

"They will want to win the cup every bit as much as us so I hope it's a great game."

Queens will be without McMenaimin(Cup -tied),Quinn and Orsi (Both injured) but the 3,000 plus Queens fans who will head North are confident the Doonhamers can lift the Cup for the second time in their history.