Capital pleasures can beat anything down south has to offer, says Shinnie
BY his own admission, Andrew Shinnie has endured a stuttering time at Hibernian, but Wednesday’s Scottish Cup replay victory over Hearts might just prove a significant turning point.
Not only did Chris Humphrey’s early injury turn another frustrating omission into a near 90-minute derby adventure, but Shinnie’s impressive substitute appearance was capped by the clinching goal in a 3-1 victory.
So uplifting was the experience that the Birmingham City midfielder admitted afterwards he would prefer a future at Easter Road than a return to the English Championship.
The 27-year-old has become relatively wealthy thanks to the terms agreed following his transfer to City from Inverness in 2013, but football satisfaction waned over the course of his stay in the Midlands.
He agreed a loan deal with Neil Lennon’s promotion chasers last August and, although his form has been patchy, he is enjoying the rush of the club’s efforts to win the division and retain the Scottish Cup.
During his three years in England, the once-capped Scotland midfielder admits he never encountered a spectacle to rival the Edinburgh derby that played out in front of a crowd of over 20,000 last midweek.
He said: ‘The derby had an unbelievable atmosphere, as big as a lot of clubs down south could give you. England gets built up quite a lot and obviously a lot of players go down there because, financially, there is a big difference.
‘But I’ve been at a lot of Championship matches and — while they’re decent games — there’s nothing like that atmosphere.
‘I was at Birmingham, which is a great club, and we had some really good games but, while the atmosphere was okay in most of the games, nothing compared to that. Easter Road is a great stadium and when the fans are like that, it’s a tough place for teams to come.
‘I don’t think a lot of teams can offer you that. It’s a brilliant club and I love it here. I would like to stay but I’m not going to think about that until the summer.
‘I’m just working hard on my football and that will take care of itself. I want to have a really successful season, I want us to win the league, I want us to go for the Scottish Cup.’
At least three conditions would need to be met to keep Shinnie (right) in Edinburgh.
Most fundamentally, a deal would need to be cut with Birmingham to release Shinnie from the contract tying him to the club until the summer of 2018.
To finance the move, Hibs would most probably need to have secured promotion to the Premiership.
And for Neil Lennon to even consider it, Shinnie will need to show a lot more of Wednesday’s form until the end of the season.
‘My time here has been a bit frustrating,’ he concedes. ‘You go through spells when your form is not as good as it can be but you’ve got to keep working hard. I was disappointed not to start against Hearts but, when Chris went off, I was ready, came on and contributed.’
Aside from his goal, a swerving long-range shot that fooled Hearts keeper Jack Hamilton, Shinnie also laid on Jason Cummings’ opener.
He continued: ‘The game was so fast that it was hard to get my breath, but I loved it. It was everything I thought it would be.
‘For my goal, I actually saw Jason out of the corner of my eye and for a split second I thought about passing. But my old man has been getting on at me and says I need to start shooting more. I hit it quite well and, although the keeper didn’t deal with it, I think it moved a little bit.
‘After the game I was buzzing. I had watched videos of the crowd singing Sunshine On Leith after the Hearts game last year and I wanted to sample that myself.
‘That fixture should be in the top league every season. It’s a great advert for Scottish football.’
While the jubilation in Leith was noisy, the trophy’s acquisition last season remains the high watermark for Hibs celebrations.
A home quarter-final tie against Ayr United next weekend looks eminently winnable, meaning Lennon’s side could be back at Hampden in April. There is even the prospect of some sibling rivalry breaking out as Shinnie’s brother Graeme has also made it to the last eight with Aberdeen. ‘If that happens, then so be it,’ said Andrew. ‘We played together at Inverness and loved it but have never played against each other at first-team level. ‘We’re professionals and would chat about it beforehand, and get on with it. It wouldn’t be great for my mum and dad. I don’t know where they would sit, maybe one in each end with half-and-half scarves.’