Skipper David McCracken hopes to repay Falkirk for rescuing him from the scrapheap by leading them to William Hill Scottish Cup final victory against Inverness at Hampden Park tomorrow.

The 33-year-old defender had undergone a knee operation in 2013 when he was told that St Johnston would not be offering a new contract, leaving him "vulnerable" and "scared."

Then Falkirk boss Gary Holt came to the rescue with the offer of rehabilitation and a subsequent deal and two years later McCracken is set to lead out the Championship side for his first appearance in the showpiece occasion.

Describing his departure from the Perth club and the journey to Hampden, he said: "It was probably the first time in my career where I was in a bit of a vulnerable position.

"I'd agreed a contract at St Johnstone verbally and I was ready to sign it and, unluckily, I had to get an operation on my knee. "Straight after that operation - I was still in the hospital bed - I got a phone call from my agent to say there was no contract there.

"I was going to be out injured for three or four months and without having a club you get a wee bit scared.

"I've got a family and bills to pay and you're thinking, 'well, where's the money going to come from?'

"Luckily at that time the manager of Falkirk was Gary Holt, whom I had played with.

"He was on the phone straight away and said to me, 'look, come in and get some treatment and use our physio.'

"People were talking about my age and the operation, saying the recovery takes longer and can have an ongoing effect on your career but Gary knew I'd be determined to get back to full fitness as quickly as possible.

"It didn't take long before he was asking about contracts and whether I had anything going on elsewhere.

"I'm very grateful that I got the contract at that time because I was in quite a tight situation. There wasn't any other clubs looking to sign me.

"So to take the boys out will be a massive moment something that I will be really proud of.

"It's going to be a massive game especially for the young boys as sometimes you don't get a cup final in your career or you only get one or two.

"It's something we've got to embrace and enjoy."