MASON Munn says he’s keen to right the wrongs of last season’s Scottish Youth Cup final disappointment as the young Gers square off against Aberdeen on Wednesday evening.
Steven Smith’s Gers Under-18s will take to the Hampden Park pitch looking to add an eighth Youth Cup trophy in the Academy’s history and a third success in the last four editions of the competition.
The Northern Irish goalkeeper, who turned 18 last month, missed last season’s cup exploits through injury, but he recalls the mood of the dressing room at full-time.
It is a feeling that Munn insists is driving the side to go one better this time around.
Speaking to the official Rangers website to preview the final, the teenager commented: “I was at the dressing room and it was very, very low; everyone’s heads were on the floor.
“There is a real hunger and desire in the squad because a lot of the squad this year was involved in last season’s final.
“Missing last season’s final? It was very tough at the time; the night of it, the day before it, and after it.
“The feeling was still there for a couple of weeks after it, but my next thought was getting to the final again.
“My only thought when I was playing in the competition this season was to play well and get the team to another final, and once we done that we’ll focus from there.
“On a personal note, having missed out last year, I’m really looking forward it and hopefully we can get the win.
“Being from Northern Ireland, there will be a lot of family travelling over. It’s a privilege, but at the time I won’t be concentrating on it, and hopefully I can try to celebrate something.
“There are about 30-odd of my family coming over, so it should be a good occasion.
“Aberdeen will turn up in their numbers; their fans and players will be up for it. All the preparation will be done on Monday and Tuesday leading into the game.”
Munn has spent the majority of the campaign with the B Team, featuring at Ibrox against AS Monaco while also representing Northern Ireland at Under-19 level ahead of this summer’s European Championships on home soil.
It has afforded the 18-year-old with opportunities to train with Philippe Clement’s first-team, where he has picked up useful advice and experience on the training pitch.
The goalkeeper can also lean on his head coach, Steven Smith, who was victorious in the competition as a youngster back in 2002 in a team that also included the likes of Chris Burke, Alan Hutton and Charlie Adam.
He added: “I’m still eligible to play for the Under-18s so I’m viewed as one the younger members of the B Team.
“But David McCallum always says to me that he still views me as an experienced player because I can see the whole game from my position.
“When I drop down, Stevie always says likewise to me about bringing my experience with my communication before the game and on the pitch.
“I’ve played a lot of big games for the B Team, such as Monaco at Ibrox, so I’m able to calm people down. This game is a big game in my career, but I’ll be a bit more settled than the other boys.
“It’s been massive. Jack [Butland] has played for England and in the Premier League; the pinnacle of football.
“I’ve been trying to get little bits of information off him and his experiences, being a sponge when I go round to the first-team side.
“He mentioned it briefly last week, but he hasn’t spoken to us properly about it.
“He says he has the chance to be the only player to ever win it as both a player and a coach. That’s an extra motivation for us, to do it for him as well, and it would be a great achievement for him.
“Stevie has been there and done it. Everything that is going to be thrown at us in the final, he’ll have experienced it before.
“He’ll be calm in the moment and know how to deal with it, so that’ll be helpful during big intervals in the game. Listening to him, and keeping a calm head during the final, will be a big thing.”
Get your tickets now for Wednesday evening’s Scottish Youth Cup final showdown at Hampden Stadium here.