Decor rater

IT is a scary old thought.

The teenage Ian Black and Scott Brown tearing around the same midfield for a Hibs youth team. Yet some 12 years on, arguably the two most fearsome, feisty footballers in the country find themselves squaring off this lunchtime in the most eye-catching individual duel of what should be a lively William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and Hearts. Rather amazingly, the Hearts midfielder reveals that in those days it was his kindred spirit in the Celtic ranks who had to be encouraged to come out of his shell.

"I know Scott from those early days and believe it or not, he wasn't as he is now," Black said. "He was much quieter. Really quiet, in fact. But he's come on leaps and bounds and is now captain of Celtic. He's a good lad, and obviously a very good player. We were about 14 or 15 when we played together for a couple of years. He was more of a wide right at the time and I remember us going to Ireland to play in a tournament together. It will be good to try and turn him over."

This will be Black's first ever run-out at Hampden, although both men have had their fair share of visits to the south side of Glasgow for disciplinary reasons over the years. "I've got a lot of praise for Scott, he's done well," said the 27-year-old. "He was written off at the start because of his disciplinary record – a bit like me – but he's proved people wrong with the likes of Neil Lennon sticking by him. I've worked on that side of my game, just as Scott has, but you can't take that streak completely out of anyone. You need that bit of aggression in football. I've tried to channel it in the right direction and I think I've improved a lot. He's done that as well. But the first 50/50 between us will be interesting! He'll be up for the fight and so will I. May the best man win."

On the subject of 50/50 challenges, by rights both men may feel they shouldn't even be playing today. While Brown was withdrawn early as Celtic clinched the title at Kilmarnock on Saturday, but trained on Friday, Black requires a double hernia operation but is prepared to grimace through the pain if a place in a cup final with his boyhood heroes is at stake. It is quite a gesture considering that his paymasters haven't always been punctual with his wages this season. "I've got a double hernia but I'm battling on, it's bearable at the moment so I'll go on as a long as possible and hopefully win the game and carry on until the final," he said. "I've had it for almost two months and it's getting to be a bit of a fight but I can get through it and put my name forward. If you're a player you'd risk anything to play in games like this, especially someone like me. I'd play with a broken leg in a game like this because opportunities like this don't come around so often."

Black, whose father, also Ian, played for Hearts – and Hibs – is just pleased to be able to influence a game against Celtic again, having featured in the 2-0 victory at Tynecastle earlier in the season, and the narrow defeat at Celtic Park, only to settle for a seat in the stands due to suspension when Celtic routed the Gorgie side in February. Appearing at Hampden completes a long-held ambition, first brought about when he went to watch his pal Liam Buchanan, now of Dunfermline, lift a trophy at Boys Club level. "It will be a bit of a dream come true to step out there," he said. "Celtic have shown they're the best in Scotland but they are beatable. We know where their weaknesses are and we'll work on that."

Another childhood pal Black hopes to emulate is Gary Harkins, a contemporary under Graeme Souness at Blackburn, and one who managed to beat Celtic and lift the League Cup recently. "I was close to Gary, we were all in the same digs," Black said. "I watched him win the cup with Kilmarnock and I was delighted for him. Hopefully I can follow him and go there this weekend and beat Celtic, get to the final and win that too."

Like Brown, Black is hardly the kind of player who is allowed to go about his work incognito. He regards it as a compliment that fans in almost every ground he visits like to bombard him with jeers and abuse. Whether it was his winning goal at Ibrox this season, or that painter-and-decorator related jibe back at his Edinburgh rivals, more often than not he has come up with the answers. "I think I'm hated at every ground but that doesn't bother me," Black said. "I'm big and old enough to get on with it and I think I've proved that this year with my performances, especially against the Old Firm. I always say that at least you're being noticed rather than just being someone who runs around the field not doing much. My old man says some of the tackles nowadays people wouldn't have thought twice about and that's frustrating because you can't tackle too much."

Black fancies another crack at England, and with his contract expiring in the summer, is likely to get it. A chance to feature for Scotland is further unfinished business, even if Craig Levein has so far been reticent. "Craig was at a Hearts golf day the other week but we didn't chat about anything like that, just a wee handshake and he asked me how I was getting on," Black said. Whatever happens today, his DIY habits will forever be one of the stories of the season. "It's true I helped my mate with painting and decorating but it wasn't a big thing, it was blown out of proportion," Black explained. "Here's hoping Hampden is getting painted maroon!"

Taken from the Herald