THE Fyvie family have already booked their place at this year's Scottish Cup final. Now all they need to know is who they will be supporting when they get there. And the identity of the opposition.
Not only could either half of the Old Firm await in the showpiece, the Fyvie clan are unsure right now whether they will be cheering their hometown team Aberdeen on May 27, or merely roaring on Fraser, who will be wearing the colours of Hibs this weekend and doing his utmost to prevent his boyhood heroes from getting there.
Already possessed of a rare collection which includes winners' medals from both the FA Cup and last year's Scottish Cup, it seems strange to relate that this Saturday at Hampden will be the 24-year-old midfielder's first chance to take on his first club since leaving Pittodrie for Wigan Athletic five years ago.
"I've not played against them since I've been away so I'm looking forward to it," said Fyvie, who was injured for the League Cup meeting between the teams last season. "Most of my family and a few of my mates will be in Aberdeen end. In fact, pretty much all my family will be in the Aberdeen end bar my mum and dad, who'll be in the Hibs end.
"They were all at our final last year so they experienced that and they were also at the final when Aberdeen won the league cup so they have enjoyed a bit of success in the last few years," he added. "My uncle did say 'I'm getting to a final either way', but I think he'd rather Aberdeen got there! I probably will be at the final either way too. But hopefully it is going to be us not them."
All such loyalties will be suspended for the 90 minutes plus extra time which could be required on the day, but Fyvie makes no secret of his affection for the Pittodrie side. His formal attachment to the place dates back to the days when he and Ryan Jack used to kick about in the club's youth and community ranks at the age of seven, and the Aberdeen captain remains one of his best pals to this day, even if the shared backstory will do little to dampen him and the feisty Jack flying into tackles on Saturday. "He is from Tillydrone, isn't he?" deadpans Fyvie when it is put to him that his pal 'likes a tackle'.
In fact this pair of potential midfield combatants spoke over the telephone just the other day, even if Fyvie is noticeably short on details, particularly when it comes the contractual future of the 25-year-old, who becomes a free agent this summer and has been linked with Rangers. "I don't think he has said he is leaving has he?" said Fyvie. "No, I spoke to him the other day and we have had a bit of banter between us. He wants to win the Scottish Cup. I want to win it too and come Saturday we will both look forward to it. It will be a case of 'see you after the match'.
"I played alongside Ryan since I was seven years old," he added. "We came all the way through together and he is my best pal. He is the Aberdeen captain and that speaks for itself. He has done fantastically well in the last few seasons and he is highly regarded in Scottish football. He produces week-to-week, is one of the first names on the Aberdeen teamsheet and everything seems to go through him."
Hibs have waited three seasons to clinch the Championship title but wrapping matters up this weekend appears timely indeed. With the dual breathing space of league success and getting the Scottish Cup monkey off their backs in such spectacular fashion 12 months previously, Neil Lennon's side should be able to play with a freedom at the national stadium on Saturday which makes them dangerous outsiders. Twenty five years isn't exactly the same as 114 but now it is the turn of Aberdeen fans to start getting twitchy about their wait to land this famous old trophy.
"Aberdeen is a fantastic football club," he added. "There are some great people at the club who I still speak to. It is a team I still actually support. I've been to a few of their games this season and they're a good outfit. They were on a long unbeaten run before the Rangers game and everybody knows where they are in the league. They've had such a good season that they'll want to end it on a high in terms of getting to a final. But we go there full of confidence after winning the league. I think it's fair to say there's less pressure on us because we're back up."
Fyvie has years of his career ahead of him but he is a formidable lucky charm in the cup competitions. He was set to be introduced as a late substitute when Ben Watson headed in the goal which saw Wigan Athletic beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup at Wembley, then played the full match as Hibs rewrote history with David Gray's later winner against Rangers. "It was great to be a part of that [Wigan's win]," he said. "I played with some fantastic footballers like James McCarthy, James McArthur, Shaun Maloney and Gary Caldwell was on the bench with me and Callum McManaman.
"And winning the Scottish Cup with Hibs last season was brilliant. I don't think we could have written that a better way with David Gray popping up with the winner in the last minute. The players and the staff want to see if we can get to another final. It would be quite nice to go back and get on the pitch and do a lap of honour and share another moment like that with your family. But we need to get through this Aberdeen tie first and we know they will be tough opponents."
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