LET’S WRITE A NEW CHAPTER IN HIBS HISTORY, DECLARES STEVENSON:
Stevenson promises to cherish repeat of 2007 feat as Hibs star eyes a Hampden happy ending
WHEN you enter this world with a name like Lewis Stevenson, a life brimming with drama and adventure seems somewhat inevitable.
For the Hibernian player, a manof-the-match display in his side’s 5-1 thumping of Kilmarnock in the 2007 League Cup Final — in what was j ust his 17th first- team appearance — seemed to be a portent for a career that would be every bit as thrilling as the novels of his near namesake and one of Auld Reekie’s most famous literary sons.
Almost nine years on f r om announcing himself i n such remarkable fashion, however, the 28-year-old has had few days that favourably compare with that one. Two Scottish Cup Final defeats and a relegation are scarcely matters to treasure.
Rest assured then that, come this year’s League Cup Final on March 13, not a single second of it will be taken for granted.
‘I thought we would get to a cup final every year but it hasn’t worked out like that,’ said Stevenson.
‘It was almost a relief when we won the cup that day. Even at the time when we were 5-1 up, I was thinking: “Come on, ref, blow the whistle.” But, to be fair, we enjoyed that game as we played well that day.
‘You just have to cherish them when they come along. I have been in the game a while now and they don’t come too often.
‘We were a good Premier team then, but now I think we are a good Championship team. I don’t think there are many differences between those teams right now.’
Notwithstanding the dubious penalty award earned by Liam Henderson against St Johnstone, it was hard to begrudge Alan Stubbs’ side a Hampden day out that has to be viewed as a welcome bonus at this stage in the club’s rebuilding.
St Johnstone are the third top-flight side they have beaten en route to the final. Another in the shape of Ross County must be eliminated for Mount Florida to reverberate to the words of Sunshine on Leith the way it did back in 2007.
In the aftermath of Saturday’s victory, Stubbs was quick to stress that Hi b s regaining their Premiership status this season remains the top priority. Yet the scalps his side have taken during this cup run suggests they are very much a top-tier team in all but name.
They were markedly the better si de at t he weekend before fortuitously going ahead via the penalty spot in 29 minutes.
The midfield quartet Stubbs has assembled — Fraser Fyvie, Dylan McGeouch, Henderson and John McGinn — have the collective balance of an Olympic gymnast. While Fyvie is nominally the anchor man, each can win the ball and manipulate it to great effect.
All excelled at Tynecastle, although the performance of McGinn was pretty close to flawless. When he wasn’tt pirouetting his way out of challenges, he was chasing lost causes. Iff he wasn’t facilitating g others to test Alan n Mannus in the Saints s goal, he was having a go himself. Rarely has a winning goal been scored by a more fitting individual.
For all they didn’t play y to their full capacity, , Saints will long curse e the manner in which h they fell behind.
Steven McLean, the e referee, should remainn blameless for wrongly y penalising Chris Millarr for upending Henderson n in the box. His angle e suggested contact had d been made. From anyy alternate viewpoint, t, though, it was clear the e St Johnstone man had withdrawn from the tackle in good time.
Jason Cummings was never likely to miss a chance to rub salt in the wound and duly claimed his 18th goal of the season from 12 yards by sending Mannus the wrong way.
St Johnstone’s response was admirable — the unlikely figure of Joe Shaughnessy heading home David Wotherspoon’s cross just four minutes later — but the sense of injustice did not elevate their display to the required level in the second period.
A Simon Lappin free-kick which struck the crossbar was the highlight of Saints’ best period in the match but Mark Oxley in the Hibernian goal was hardly living on his nerves.
This owed much to the two men directly in front of him — Liam Fontaine and Paul Hanlon — whose domination of Steven MacLean and Michael O’Halloran was mightily impressive.
No one could say the winning goal hadn’t been coming. Cummings had successive shots blocked by Mannus, while Chris Dagnall clipped the outside of the post before having another half-chance smothered by the Saints keeper.
It was entirely appropriate, however, that McGinn showed them how i t was done — his opportunist left-foot strike from the edge of the box evading Mannus’ out- stretched arm and sending three- quarters of the stadium into raptures.
What a signing the former St Mirren player has been. The 21-year- old cost Hibs a six-figure development fee last summer but on days such as this, you couldn’t help but wonder how remarkable that transaction will look one day.
‘He is obviously a top player,’ Stevenson stated. ‘I am sure he is going to go on to have a big career with it. There are players throughout the team, a lot of young talented players who are going to go and have big careers.
‘Hopefully young boys like John, Dylan and Hendo can stick around at Hibs for a few more years.’
For a support who have suffered so much in recent times, there is a palpable sense of pride and belief in their side returning to Hampden.
As they danced their way back across the capital at full-time, you couldn’t help but wonder how the mess Stubbs’ inherited had ever come to pass.
This cup run may very much be bonus territory yet, given how rarely sunshine has illuminated Leith since their last League Cup Final, the significance of returning to compete for a major prize at the national stadium will be lost on no one.
‘I wish I remembered the last one more,’ Stevenson said.
‘I was young at the time and had only played a handful of games. I maybe didn’t take it in as much as I should have. I am sure if we win it again, I will soak in as much as I can on the day.
‘Obviously, I didn’t have kids at the time. It would be nice to now get a win and get them on the pitch as that i s something my wife (Julia) has always wanted me to do.
‘But I will just focus on the game, not on the celebrations.’