Medals gather dust but Jack wants to make memories
Hibs manager Jack Ross will urge his players to seize the moment when they run out against St Johnstone at Hampden on Saturday.
Beaten by Hearts in the Scottish Cup semis in November, and by Celtic at this stage of last season’s League Cup, the Edinburgh club are bookies’ favourites to come out on top of a last-four in which Celtic and Rangers are notable by their absence.
And for Ross – well aware of the wild celebrations prompted by Hibs’ historic Scottish Cup triumph five years ago – says it is a challenge not to fear but to relish.
“I look back at my own career, and what I know is that medals and memorabilia gather dust – but memories get better with age,” he said.
“The more good ones you can get during your career, the better.
“As a player, I played in a Scottish Cup semi-final and a League Cup Final, as well as a couple of hundred games in the Premiership.
“You want as many opportunities to play in these big games as you can.
“For me, a lot of them came in the latter part of my career.
“It is something I stress to the boys. The importance of these occasions in your career and the need to really cherish them.
“I said to them before the Scottish Cup semi-final earlier this season that it is about putting yourself in these positions as often as possible.
“It’s also about taking that extra step and, possibly, winning things.
“That is the key part. You don’t really appreciate winning things until you stop playing.
“I believe you appreciate things more as you go through your career and that comes with experience.
“I spoke to Lewis Stevenson this week about reaching 500 appearances and, even for him, that’s only something he’ll really reflect on once he’s not playing.”
The notion of his side being under any extra pressure than the other three semi-finalists is one Ross discounts.
Hibs certainly have the biggest fan base but go on recent results and, he says, a case can be made for any of the four teams to head the betting.
“I think when you get to this stage of the season, you know how close you are to achieving success. That makes extra demands on yourself because you do not want that opportunity to slip by,” said Ross.
“That will apply, irrespective of whether you are the favourites or the fourth favourite to win it.
“Every single team that has reached this stage will believe they can go on to win the tournament.
“The odds are not something we have paid too much attention to.
“There are teams in the last four who are in good current form, which you could argue should make them favourites.
“We have put demands on ourselves that we are going to achieve success this season, and that level of demand isn’t going to change.
“When you get close and you don’t achieve, then it is really sore.”