Lennon Miller says captaining Motherwell is a dream come true, but he will do the talking with his feet.
The 18-year-old midfielder will on Sunday lead the Steelmen out against Rangers at Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, in the absence of injured Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell.
But while members of his family shed a tear when he was given the armband when O’Donnell was injured 34 minutes into Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Dundee United, Miller insists nothing has changed.
And he won’t be delivering a stirring speech in the National Stadium dressing room before heading out onto the pitch.
Wishaw man Miller said: “To captain this club is what dreams are made of.
“It’s obviously a proud moment to be 18 and captain of your club at Hampden, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“Having the armband on Wednesday is going to help, but nothing really changes for me. It’s just an armband, really, when I’m on the pitch.
“There were a few tears from a few people, and it’s a proud moment for them to see me wearing the armband for the club that I’ve come through the academy of, and I’m really happy for them as well.
“We have great leaders in the changing room, so nothing really changes for me, and I’ll try to do my talking with my feet.
“I’m definitely not going to be giving a big speech before the game!
“I’m really looking forward to captaining this club. It’s where I’ve been for most of my life, really ,and the fact that I’ve come through the academy, it’s a massive thing for me.
“I’ll go out and try to perform as best I can, and hopefully get this team to a final.!”
While others in the Motherwell squad have played in big cup finals at Hampden, Miller was in the stand to watch Celtic beat Motherwell 2-0 and lift the 2017 League Cup.
He said: “The final was against Celtic and the memories are not great, to be honest, but just the excitement around the town that we were in a final was massive.
“This time it’s a semi-final, so we need to try and dream to get to another final.
“We’ve got players with loads of experience of playing at Hampden. Liam Gordon has won two trophies there, Andy Halliday has played in big games, even the boys who are injured, Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell, so we’ve got loads of experience in the changing room, and we’ll all need it.
“We’re playing Rangers in a cup semi-final, we’re always going to be underdogs – but we’ll go there with confidence that we can beat them.
“We need to be confident, not go into our shell and think ‘we’re playing Rangers’, and hopefully we can cause an upset.
“It’s massive, not just for me but for everybody involved, the manager, players, fans as well.
“We’ve sold over 8000 tickets for a semi-final which is massive for the club, and we’re all really looking forward to it.”
Miller is kept grounded by his dad, former Aberdeen and Dundee United striker Lee, and asked for advice upon learning he was to be captain.
The teenager recalled: “He said to just enjoy it. It’s a massive game in your career and you don’t get many chances to get to a final, so just relish it.”
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