Steven has sights set on a shock
Steven Hislop wouldn’t dare dream telling a ref that he should go to Specsavers – it would be bad for business.
Many will struggle to believe their eyes on Saturday at the sight of Broxburn running out at St Mirren in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
But if the man in the middle is having trouble seeing things clearly then Athletic No.2 Hislop wil l be prowling the Paisley touchline ready to pull out a business card from his pocket.
He opened The Opticians at Marchmont 11 years ago while at Raith Rovers, aware his career as a full-time player was over.
Saturday’s ref may have the Specsavers badge on his arm but Hislop, sitting in his opticians in Edinburgh, said: “That word is blasphemy in here.
“I always carry a business card. It’s funny because I’ve a lot of (refereeing) friends on Facebook – Steve Conroy, Craig Charleston, John McKendrick and John
Rowbotham – I get good banter.” Asked if he has given his card to a ref af ter a game, the 41-year- old laughed and said: “Aye, just in jest. I’ll bring plenty of cards on Saturday!
“I cannae get done, I’m just doing my job. I am only offering advice. After a game I’ve gone, ‘By the way, I’ve got appointments next week’ and they take it in good jest, they do.
“It’s just banter. Football is all about banter. You take it the wrong way, go play tiddlywinks.”
Broxburn’s trip to face a side 54 league places above them will be the seventh game of a magical run. Cowdenbeath were humbled in a second-round replay before Highland League high- f liers Inverurie Locos were downed.
Having played in a Scottish Cup semi-final – plus the replay – for Inverness, Hislop has told his East of Scotland League side to cherish such a big stage.
The former striker, who also served the likes of Ross County, Arbroath and Raith, added: “I say to the players there is one upset in every round, so why not us?
“They are going to have to have 11 players and three subs who have an off day and us 14 who have the day of their life.”
Hislop knows exactly what is possible, having been in an Arbroath strip the day Irvine Meadow became the first junior team to knock a senior side out of the Cup in 2009.
He said: “Irvine Meadow fans were battering on the changing room at half- time and I am going, ‘ What the...?’ It was purely for intimidation – and some of our players got intimidated.”
Gone are the days when leaving an early one on a rival would show you weren’t. Hislop would never ask his men to turn the clock back to those days – they’ve had one red in his two years at the club.
But he reckons a word in a rival’s ear and getting in their head as early as the tunnel is fair game – and that may just help to put Saints off their game.
He said: “They’ve just signed a defender from Norwich, they’ve sent a boy back to Hull while we’ve got boys who have been working on the trades all day, who have to go to training at night.
“Stephen and Paul McGinn, brothers of John, who is picking up mi l lions of pounds as an
A ston V i l la player. I’ve got
Cammy Ross laying bricks, who can’t even spell brick!”
Jokes aside –
Hislop is the
“bad cop” in a dugout double act with boss Brian McNaughton as he takes training – the ex- frontman boasts an almost fatherly pride of his shock troops.
The former Whitehill Welfare boss, who was also a No.2 at the Red Lichties and Linlithgow, said: “I’ll get ripped for it but they’re like my boys, they’re my family.”
Broxburn secretary Jim Provan turned up at training last Wednesday with just 20 of their 1400-plus ticket allocation left.
All had gone within 48 hours and before complimentaries plus hospitality.
Hislop, whose family have a bus going, said: “If you’re a professional burglar, Broxburn
is the place to hit.”