DUNDEE have not won the Scottish Cup since 1910. Partick Thistle last did it in 1921, Morton a year later. Some like Hamilton Academical and Ayr United have yet to have the pleasure. None of these clubs, however, feel the weight of history on their shoulders in this competition as much as Hibernian.
Perhaps it is simply because Hibs are a bigger club than the others, or maybe it’s because they have reached – and lost – their last 10 Scottish Cup finals, but there is little doubt that not having lifted this trophy since 1902 is a burden that will only continue to grow the longer the drought goes on.
Alan Stubbs has enough to worry about this week without the need for constant reminders. He is the Hibs manager, after all, not the club historian. He was not at Easter Road during these previous failures, and neither were the majority of his players. Whether Hibs triumph or fall against Rangers at Hampden on Saturday should not be influenced by what went before.
It is an unavoidable topic, however. Winning the Scottish Cup has become as significant to the supporters as the green and white strips and Sunshine on Leith. The first manager and set of players to end that barren run will be immediately immortalised, something Stubbs was made well aware of in the early days of his managerial tenure.
“I think we all get to find out very quickly about the Scottish Cup and this club when you work here and it wasn't long after I got the job that I started to find out what has happened over the years,” he said. “Everyone was mentioning it. People couldn't wait to get it out their mouths!
“Listen, people will look at omens and history, but the thing you want to do is create history. Then, in years to come, people will look back at that day, May 21, 2016, at Hampden Park, when hopefully, after 114 years, that was the year we won it.
“Last year we were close to getting ourselves into a final and giving ourselves the opportunity to do it, and this year we have gone one step further. The fact we have done that means we have a better chance of putting to bed this 114 years thing.”
Hibs’ last two Scottish Cup final appearances remain a scar on the memory. Such was their humiliation following the 5-1 thrashing by rivals Hearts in 2012 that a 3-0 loss to Celtic the following season almost seemed acceptable by comparison. Rangers have already handed out one heavy cup defeat to Stubbs’ men this season – winning 6-2 in the Petrofac Training Cup – but Hibs aren’t fearing another hiding this time. They are getting closer to tangible success under Stubbs, reaching the Scottish Cup semi-finals last year and the League Cup final this year. The next step, naturally, would be to finally have silverware to show for their endeavours.
“I hope that is the way it goes, and I would love it to work out like that,” he added. “But it is obviously the most prestigious game in Scotland at the end of the season and the fact it is against one of the big two makes it even more of a high-profile game.
“Whenever you drive to Hampden you’re going there for a big game. You get that feeling of excitement and nerves, the buzz of that drive there. It’s what everyone wants to feel. It doesn’t get any better.”
Stubbs was involved in one of Hibs’ previous Scottish Cup final defeats, an unused substitute when Celtic won the 2001 final. Having not long recovered from testicular cancer, there is little chance of the former defender feeling his medal wasn’t properly earned that day.
“The circumstances around it were was a bit different as I was coming back from illness. For me, being on the bench was a success. Martin [O’Neill, the then Celtic manager] didn't have to do it but Martin being Martin I think it was something he always had in mind to do. So although I never played, try taking that away from me. I was part of it.
“As a player the disappointment of missing out on a cup final is huge but when you are told the team or the whistle goes, you want the best for the players and it has been like that here. Over the last number of weeks you are leaving players out who could easily be in the team but the camaraderie amongst them has been fantastic and it's been great to see.”
It is why Stubbs might break with tradition by naming his starting line-up earlier in the week than normal. “I may announce the team early for the final just so that the players that aren’t playing can adjust and the ones that are can get over the nerves that build up on the Friday.
“Your emotions do run high on the day. I’ll certainly have learned from the League Cup final. It can be difficult to contain them and any manager would say the same. But you learn from each one. We’re fortunate that this will be our fourth time at Hampden as a team and you get better at controlling your emotions with each one. Come Saturday I’ll be thinking of people [close to me] but the most important people I’ll be thinking of are my players and making sure that they’re ready.”
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