Celtic fan Tynes can win it for New York says the QPR-supporting first Briton to win a Super Bowl ring

Tynes, the New York Giants kicker, is a 29-year-old Celtic supporter from Greenock.

On Sunday night the fifth Scotsman to play in the NFL faces the unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix, Arizona, where everything may come to rest on his trusty boot.

Scroll down for more

Bootiful: Lawrence Tynes celebrates after his overtime field goal sent the New York Giants to the Super Bowl, where they will get the chance to wear a winners' ring, similar to the one owned by Scott McCready (below), if they can overcome the Patriots

McCready, who was a wide receiver with the New England Patriots when they upset the St Louis Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, is 31.

Born in Chiswick and raised as a Queens Park Rangers fan, McCready gave up his role as a wide receiver last season and will be one of the expert analysts on Sunday night on Sky Sports 1.

The two Brits played together at the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 2003 and at the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs two years ago. Predictably, they got on rather well. Both left Britain aged 15 and have plenty in common.

McCready said: "Lawrence? He's a bit of a jokester, LT. Always good for a laugh. But you know these kickers, they're in a different place. They have to come on and do their thing. They're one kick away from disaster every time.

"Me, if I was playing well, enjoying it, I'd be fine. It was only when things were going badly the old trash mouthing would start. Lawrence has to be different to that. He has to appear confident even when he isn't. And I think he can do that.

"He's had his critics, but he kicked them to the Super Bowl in the play-offs - an overtime win against the Green Bay Packers last week, after missing two easier chances in regulation time - when it mattered.

"And I think he can do it again on Sunday," said McCready.

"I know everyone is talking about the New England Patriots having the perfect season but when we went to to the Super Bowl on turf at the Louisiana Superdome at the end of the 2001 season, everyone said it wasn't a matter of who would win but by how much. The Rams were huge favourites. But we beat them on an overtime field goal. I believe LT can do that again this week.

"They gave them a tight game - 38-35 - in the last game of the regular season and Eli Manning, the Giants quarterback, is looking good. You know what, I wouldn't be that shocked if the Giants do it. And Lawrence gets the winning points in overtime - and another Super Bowl ring for Britain."

Meanwhile for Tom Brady, a three-time Super Bowl champion already with the Patriots, another Super Bowl ring would unite him with San Francisco's Joe Montana and Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks to win four Super Bowls.

And a recent ankle injury doesn't look like hampering his bid to join those greats.

>"My ankle feels great. I practiced a full day yesterday. I think we had one incompletion in practice," said Brady.

If he can carry his team to a win both he and the Patriots will have set a new NFL benchmark as only the second team in the sport's modern history to go through the regular season and play-offs undefeated.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins went 17-0 on the road to Super Bowl victory but the Patriots will end up 19-0 if they don't fall at the final hurdle against the Giants, who UK gridiron fans saw beat the Dolphins at a packed Wembley Stadium back in October.

• LIVE: Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD 1, 8pm on Sunday