Peterhead striker Dennis Wyness was on target twice as Neale Cooper’s side saw off Stenhousemuir 3-1 at the Quarter Final stage of this season’s ALBA Challenge Cup and the prolific goalscorer is out to secure a place in the Final of the competition for the second time in his career.
Wyness made a winning debut at the Semi-Final stage of the Challenge Cup 11 years ago and he is keen to ensure the Blue Toon see off Queen of the South on Saturday to make up for his experiences in Semi-Finals since 1999.
Wyness left his first club Aberdeen to join a then First Division Inverness Caledonian Thistle on loan in September 1999 and his first game was the visit of Livingston in a final four contest that the Highlanders won 1-0 thanks to a goal from recently appointed Arbroath Manager Paul Sheerin.
Inverness progressed to the Final against Alloa Athletic at the Excelsior Stadium on 21st November, 1999 and found themselves behind in the game on four occasions. Each time Caley clawed themselves back into the game with a hat-trick from Sheerin ensuring the game ended 4-4 after extra-time. The Second Division Wasps were not to be denied however, and they took the trophy 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out.
Wyness recalls, “I remember the Cup Final as it was a big event for me having not long joined on loan. Any 4-4 game is a fantastic one to watch but of course, a disappointing one to lose.
“I also remember Paul scored a hat-trick and I was substituted before the penalty kicks were taken so thankfully, the end result was not my doing.”
The Semi-Finals that Wyness has played in since 1999 have been as disappointing as that Cup Final as he explains, “I do not think I have won a Semi-Final since, so you can imagine how keen I am to win this one.
“At Inverness, we lost a Semi-Final to Dundee in the Scottish Cup in 2003 and when I went to Hearts, we lost twice at that stage in the one season. Motherwell put us out of The CIS Insurance Cup in season 2004/ 05 and then Celtic beat us in the Scottish Cup.
“When I went to St. Mirren, my luck was not any better as we played Rangers in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final of 2009 and they scored in the first minute of that game before winning 3-0.”
Wyness is hoping that good fortune is on his side on Saturday saying, “Peterhead have played well all season and not getting the results we deserve apart from the Brechin game last weekend when they deserved to beat us.
“That was the poorest we have played all season and looking on it positively, it was good to get that performance out of the way before the Queen of the South game.”
This season’s ALBA Challenge Cup First Round provided Wyness with his debut for Peterhead and he quickly won over his new fans scoring twice as Montrose were knocked out of the competition 5-0 at Balmoor.
He said, “Scoring early at a new club is important to a striker and it was good to get up and running early.
“Paul Emslie capped that day off with a goal from virtually the half-way line so it was a good day all round.
“In the next round, we defeated East Stirling 6-1 but I never scored, so it was good to put that right against Stenhousemuir in the last round with my double.
“Playing up front with Martin Bavidge, Conor Gethins and Graeme Sharp is really good and I am enjoying it. Hopefully, whoever plays up front can give Queen of the South an uncomfortable afternoon.
“I played with Martin at Inverness before he came here and he has done really well for Peterhead scoring more than 100 goals. I achieved that for Inverness as well so I know it is not an easy thing to do.”
The 33-year-old striker knows his Dumfries opponents well having spent a spell on loan there last season sandwiched between leaving St. Mirren and joining Dumbarton.
Wyness said, “There are a few right good players at Queen of the South and Willie McLaren always stood out as a player of great ability. I played with David Lilley at Aberdeen and he is a great addition for them however, it is a right good journey up here from Dumfries.
“We are doing okay at home and it is a massive game for us, a game we are looking forward to and a game where we are in with a chance.
“I can remember being in an Inverness side that defeated Queen of the South 5-3 and they had two players sent off that day so I would gladly settle for that again.”
Peterhead’s other goalgrabber against the Ochilview Warriors, Conor Gethins, is hopeful that he will win his fitness battle for this weekend’s ALBA Challenge Cup Semi-Final against Queen of the South after being injured because of the wind at Balmoor.
The Irishman, who injured a thigh muscle in a game against Alloa Athletic taking a penalty on 25th September, said, “I must be one of the few players ever to be injured taking a spot-kick.
“I took my run up and put my standing foot down and went to kick the ball. Just as I did that, the strong wind you can get at our ground blew the ball a fraction to the right and when I adjusted myself my thigh muscle went pop and the penalty ballooned over the bar. I normally put them in low so there was something far wrong.”
Gethins is hoping to be back to face the First Division side saying, “I returned to training on Monday night and I would reckon I was 80% ready after that session. Hopefully come Saturday, I will be raring to go.”
The striker returned to Scottish football after an absence of four and a half years earlier on this year to be reunited with his former Manager at Ross County, Neale Cooper.
Gethins was recruited to Dingwall as a teenager as he explained, “I was spotted at 16-years-old playing for Northern Ireland Schools by Ross County’s then Head of Youth, Danny McDonald.
“I was playing at the Ian Rush Tournament in Wales and scored a hat-trick in a game and County asked me to join them. It was full-time football so I had to take the chance.”
After three seasons at Victoria Park, Gethins went out on loan to Stirling Albion but it is not a move he remembers with great affection saying, “That move did not work out as well as I would have liked. I was a young boy and probably never applied myself enough at that time and I felt I needed a move away from Scotland.
“I was all set for a trial at Millwall however, the chance of that ended a week before I was due to go there as I dislocated my shoulder.
“I went back home to Ireland and joined Finn Harps in 2005 for a season before joining Galway United on loan and helped them push for promotion scoring 16 times.”
Gethins returned to Finn Harps for their 2007 season however, he remembers his loan spell at Galway with great affection saying, “I grew up at Galway United and really benefited from my time there. I became a better player and a more mature person and went back to Finn Harps for another couple of seasons.”
Having married a Highland girl, Gethins came back to Scotland almost 12 months ago saying, “By the end of the 2009 season, my wife, who is from Inverness, and I decided to come back home and we came back over the water without a club.
“I knew Neale was at Peterhead and was delighted to get back in touch with him and then sign for the club.
“Neale looks after his players well and his motivational skills are great so I really enjoy being back.”
Gethins is of course, playing with two centurions and he was asked what he made of Martin Bavidge and Dennis Wyness.
He is impressed saying, “They are two really different players but both are natural goalscorers.
“Dennis is the best striker I have ever played with. He holds the ball up really well, he never loses it, he either passes, scores or is fouled. On top of that, he is a very modest guy and a genuinely nice fella.
“Dennis has over 100 goals for Inverness and Martin has over 100 goals for Peterhead and that tells its own story as well. Martin is a really powerful player with a bit of pace about him and my aim has to be to learn from these guys.”
Gethins earlier spell in Scottish football is remembered by strike partner Wyness with Gethins saying, “Dennis keeps on reminding me that I am not as fast as he thought I was.
“He asks me where my pace has gone but I tell him I am a different player now and that I am quicker because I am starting and finishing in better positions than when I ran about daft.
“Hopefully, I can show people on Saturday that I am better player for it.”
So will Peterhead win? “I am looking forward to the game and hopefully, I will be fit and even if I make the substitutes bench I will be happy.
“I have never played in a Semi-Final of a national tournament before so bring it on. Queen of the South would be a big scalp for us to take so we will give it our best shot.”
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