Scottish Cup final: Scott Brown hopes to cheer former club to glory

By ALAN PATTULLO
Published on Tuesday 15 May 2012 00:00

Unsurprisingly, Scott Brown will be cheering on the “other team in green and white” on Saturday, when Hearts and Hibernian come to Glasgow to contest the Scottish Cup final. He’ll also be doing so among friends in the Hibs end at Hampden Park rather than from a seat in the corporate sections.

Brown, who lifted his first championship trophy as Celtic skipper on Sunday, has revealed he is the relieved owner of a precious ticket for the all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup final, and will join in the party should Hibs manage to exorcise their Scottish Cup torment with victory over their fiercest rivals.

Brown is looking forward to casting off the shackles of a professional footballer for one afternoon only this weekend. After playing his part in a 5-0 destruction of Hearts on Sunday he is now hoping the team he played with for five years can complete a memorable week.

“I’ll be at the game,” he confirmed. “I’ve got a ticket and I’m going to go along. I’ll be in the Hibs end cheering the team on: Come on the Hibees!

“I’ve got loads of pals who are Hibs fans from back home.They’re all looking forward to going through to Glasgow in their supporters buses and making a good day of it. If they do win then it’ll be back to Edinburgh for the open-top bus.

“I’ve done it before, going down Princes Street and Leith Walk and it was frightening the amount of fans who turned up. Can you imagine how many would be out on the street after this one! It’s been 110 years which is a long time not to win it. Here’s hoping they manage to do it but it’s going to be a hard game.”

Brown has supported Hibs from the slopes of Hampden before – but the last time was when he actually played for the Edinburgh club. Having sustained a leg fracture in a clash with Hearts Julian Brellier, Brown was forced to sit out the 2006 Scottish Cup semi-final meeting between Hibs and Hearts. Both he and the suspended Derek Riordan looked on aghast from the Hibs section of the ground as their side slumped to a 4-0 defeat.

Brown did, however, feature in the 5-1 win that saw Hibs lift the CIS Insurance Cup the following year, securing the club’s first trophy since 1991. While this was gladly received, the reaction will not compare to what will happen this weekend should Hibs prevail.

“I’d prefer to be playing in the final myself,” he acknowledged, with Hearts having put paid to his own side’s hopes in the semi-final last month. “Unfortunately it’s not to be but I’ll be supporting the other team in green and white. I’d love to see Hibs win it. They deserve it I think. It’s been such a long time – 110 years – and I’d really love to see them pick it up at Hampden on Saturday.

“When I was at the club we didn’t do too badly in the CIS Cup for a couple of years. But it was always the Scottish Cup the fans wanted. The players all wanted it as well so hopefully it’ll happen this time. It’ll be a great day and a great atmosphere no matter who wins. But here’s hoping it’s the Hibees.”

Unlike any of the present day Hibs side, Brown knows what it takes to lift the Scottish Cup. He led Celtic to victory just a year ago against Motherwell. “Winning a cup final takes a lot,” he said. “It takes ability from players, nerve, emotion - pretty much a bit of everything. You have got to want to have the ball.

“You need to be prepared to make a mistake and not be scared of it. If you do slip up then you need to make sure you make amends the next time you’re on the ball. You also need to keep going and going. Once the Hibs lads see 30,000 of their fans at Hampden – with just as many Hearts fans at the other end – they’ll get a lift from that.

“It should be some atmosphere and some occasion. It’s virtually a one-off and anything can happen.”

Celtic manager Neil Lennon, meanwhile, has finally managed to put aside his own disappointment at failing to reach the Scottish Cup final and has welcomed the prospect of a “great showpiece occasion” to end the season. Lennon was outraged at the way Celtic lost out to Hearts last month at Hampden, following the award a late penalty after Marius Zaliukas’ shot had struck Joe Ledley’s hand.

“I think the momentum is starting to build now,” said Lennon. “It should be a great showpiece occasion. Every now and again it’s good to have a change. Two great clubs with a great history. And it’s a derby. The noise and the colour should be fantastic, a nice showpiece way to end the season. So I am looking forward to it – I wish I was there myself with my team, but I wish both clubs all the best.”

Taken from the Scotsman