COLLIN SAMUEL once dined at football’s top table as a World Cup star – but he is just as hungry to succeed in the play-off final.
The ex-Dundee United and St Johnstone striker will travel to Peterhead today as East Fife go into a one-off shoot-out to secure Second Division football after a goalless draw in Methil in midweek.
And Sammy, 31, who was in Trinidad’s squad at Germany 2006, wants to stay up to face Rangers next term. He said: “Every player I know wants the chance to play against Rangers.
“I have done it many times and have scored against them. They are a special club. It doesn’t matter if they have different players or are at a lower level – Rangers are Rangers.
“It would be a real pleasure to play against them but it would also be good for the club’s finances to be in the same league. I’ve played at a high level in my career. I’ve played at a World Cup, in England and the SPL.
“Everyone can see times have changed for me. Football has moved on a lot from four or five years ago.
“I’m not at the same level now but it’s a question of how much I still want to be involved.
“I still want it. The hunger is always going to be there for me because of where I came from. I appreciate football and never take it for granted. I started with nothing all those years ago and built a career for myself.
“But I haven’t forgotten my roots and that’s why I’m like every East Fife player – I want to make sure this club is in the Second Division after the summer.”
Samuel is not the only star gunning for a crack at Ally McCoist’s side next term as Peterhead’s Rory McAllister would love another go at Rangers.
McAllister netted a winner at Ibrox in a 2-1 success last month – a victory that edged the Blue Toon towards second spot in the Third Division.
That was part of a scoring spree that saw him net nine in 12 games before last week’s blank at New Bayview. McAllister said: “We can’t argue with the season we had. We finished second in a league that contained a huge club like Rangers.
“People say that finishing ‘best of the rest’ is an achievement but it will count for absolutely nothing if we don’t get through the play-offs.
“The aim is to try and move up a league. We’ve had Rangers this year and it was a great experience. We played twice at Ibrox, we were on TV and we beat them but we want them again next year.
“To get that we need to beat East Fife. We battered them on Wednesday for 45 minutes, a side a league above us.
“It was much harder in the second half and our defence did superbly well but we have to try and do the job on Sunday.
“Our manager Jim McInally will keep us calm and focused. He gives us belief and I’m so happy with the way he is I’ve signed a new two-year contract.
“I want to keep working with him and make Peterhead successful.”