Edinburgh derby offers Hibs-mad Leigh Griffiths the chance to realise a dream

Published on Sunday 1 January 2012 01:54

HAVING arrived at Hibs just before the first capital derby of the season, Leigh Griffiths knows he could be departing a matter of days after tomorrow’s latest instalment and he wants to sure he leaves with a memory worth treasuring.

A boyhood fan of the club, he was sent on with 31 minutes of the August 28 fixture at Tynecastle remaining and, although he was unable to provide an equaliser as Hearts ultimately extended their lead to win 2-0, it was an occasion the on-loan Wolves striker says he will always remember.

“It was massive for me, I went to the derbies when I was younger but to play in one at Tynecastle – fair enough, we were getting beat at the time – but to come on, being told to try to score the equaliser… it was a massive game for me and something I won’t forget.”

Griffiths admits that emotions were running high that day and an early challenge could have rendered it one of the shortest derby debuts in history but he added that, despite having served as ball boy on such occasions and taken in many wins and losses in the all-Edinburgh clash as a diehard punter, nothing quite prepared him for the intensity of experiencing it from the pitch.

“It was a bit special. I had only met the players the day before. I signed on the Friday, trained on the Saturday morning and the game was on the Sunday. To come in one day before and get thrown on with 30 minutes to go to try and score, was not the best. I had not played a lot of games before that but I’ve managed to get a run in the side now and I’m feeling a lot fitter and fresher so hopefully my performance will shine through tomorrow.

“My loan deal is up here on 9 January so, if they can’t get that extended until the summer, I will be heading back down to Wolves. That means the derby could be big for me. It’s a massive game at any time but it could be my last home game as a Hibs player so I want to leave with a win.”

Hibs are unable to stake a claim to greater bragging rights when it comes to capital clashes but they have had their moments, according to Griffiths. He was a ball boy when Hibs won 2-1 at Easter Road in October 2001.

“Ulises de la Cruz scored after 32 seconds or something. I still remember that because I was sitting in front of the old East Stand and I still remember jumping up when we scored!

“When we played at under-11 and 12s here, we were all ball boys. But I don’t know why I was kept away from the Hearts fans. I was always kept away from the Hearts, Celtic and Rangers fans for some strange reason!”

Griffiths would love to emulate team-mate Garry O’Connor, another born and bred Hibby who, unlike Griffiths has experienced the jubilation of playing in a winning derby side. “To go back down the road having won the derby with my last home game, to even contribute something will mean a whole lot to me,” says the 21-year-old, who has netted four goals during his loan spell.

“But I’m thinking about everyone else connected with the club. We need to get up the table, We don’t want to be second bottom and need to go out and get three points. It does not matter how we do it or how dirty it’s going to be, we need to do it.

“Going into the games that you’ve watched on TV and watched from the stands, to be running out into a packed stadium this Monday, I know emotions will be running high but I have to try and keep myself on the park and try and score a goal to try and help us get up the league.”

The form guide does not favour such an outcome. While Hibs have enjoyed just three SPL victories all season, Hearts have set aside off-field problems to produce some quality performances of late. That ability to overcome their troubles does not surprise Griffiths, who endured similar financial worries at Dundee and Livingston, with players not being paid, and he says it can have a galvanising effect.

“I know what the players are going through. You really do sympathise with them because it is not their fault. They are doing their job every day, going out on a Saturday and working hard, and they are still getting paid weeks late. When it has been happening two or three months in a row it does put a wee bit of doubt in your mind.

“When we got put into administration at Dundee we had a great dressing room and great togetherness and went on that massive run which kept us in the league.”

The hope is that a deal can still be struck with Wolves to extend the loan deal to the summer but the Premiership side have made it clear they would prefer to sell the striker outright and Hibs cannot match the current asking price.

That leaves Griffiths facing an uncertain future.

But it’s a future he would be more content to face if his past contained a derby win to cling to.

Taken from the Scotsman