Hibs heroes to end Hampden hoodoo

 

And if you know your history … yes, we know, it’s 110 years since Hibs won the Scottish Cup and long-suffering Hibees could be forgiven for staying in their beds on 19 May, or maybe take the opportunity to enjoy that long-awaited weekend break in Kazahkstan. After all, Hibs don’t beat Hearts. And they certainly don’t win the Scottish Cup.

It was somehow inevitable that, following Hibs semi-final victory over Aberdeen, city rivals Hearts would triumph over Celtic in the other tie. It was meant to be.

And yet Hibs could surprise us all – their own fans included. Granted, this is probably the worst ever Hibs team to contest a final, but the Hampden showpiece is an opportunity to put wretched League form behind them and go out and actually enjoy the occasion. There is no pressure on the Easter Road men – they have nothing to lose; they are expected to lose.

Half the HIbs squad is out of contract at the end of this season – what better opportunity to put yourself in the shop window, or securing yourself a new contract, than by being part of a cup winning team?

Hibs have been poor all season – correction, for seasons – and their current SPL plight is no surprise. They are not in a false position – they thoroughly deserve to be where they are, scrapping it out with Dunfermline for Premier League survival. They just haven’t been good enough.

But they have been a different proposition in the cup. Granted, they have had some luck in the draw but they have done all they have had to do, and they have reached the final on merit. In Leigh Griffiths and Gary O’Connor they do have strikers who can take their chances and who can prove a handful for the Hearts defence.

And in James McPake the Hibees at last have a leader of the pitch, a real captain who will nail his colours to the mast and who will battle for the cause to the end. He’s the type of motivator Hibs have been sorely missing – and the Cup Final is a day for big hearts and big men. McPake may just inspire his men to glory.

So it could just be Hibs day. Some very ordinary players could well become club legends over the course of ninety (or, God forbid, 120) minutes. It’s unlikely to be pretty or even enjoyable; forget a 7-0 or a 6-2, a sclaffed tap-in in the 89^th minute for an ill-deserved 1-0 would do! The only thing that matters is the name on the trophy after the game. Given the topsy-turvy nature of Scottish football this season, that name could just be Hibernian FC – and how sweet would it be to end that Hampden hoodoo against your oldest rivals?

For Hibs, it’s the biggest game in the club’s illustrious history. And for the fans, the most important match of their lives. As one long-suffering Hibs fan said: ‘for them, it’s just another game. But for us, it means everything’.