Farm boy Sibbald aims for a bumper harvest at Hampden
If we win, we will become legends forever at the club
WHEN Craig Sibbald was j ust a bairn, he could be found at his home on Greenrigg Farm in Falkirk scraping cow dung for a fiver’s pocket money every week.
Yet while growing up in an agricultural setting, the gifted footballer’s future always looked more likely to involve Man U than manure.
Despite knowing exactly what he wanted to do from an early age, however, it still required a leap of faith from the Sibbald family as young Craig pursued his dream.
Identified as an exceptional talent by the SFA, parents Patricia and Alex took the tough decision to allow their boy to accept a place at the governing body’s new performance school based at Graeme High in August 2007.
For the 12-year-old Sibbald, it meant leaving behind the friends he had made since arriving as a nursery pupil at Comely Park Primary some nine years previously.
And once at the rival school, he faced hostility from the regular pupils towards what they perceived as the ‘flash’ young footballers parachuted into their midst.
Over time, the group won over their peers while embarking on the intensive 10,000 hours of quality practice which experts suggest is needed by the age of 20 if a player is to truly master the art of football.
Eight years on and Sibbald has grown from bairn to first-team star with the Bairns, making almost 150 first-team appearances for Falkirk.
Christened ‘The Wee Magician’ by team-mates, his winning goals in the quarter-final at Queen of the South and the semi-final against Hibs have helped Falkirk into just their fifth Scottish Cup Final in 139 years.
At the club’s end- of- season awards, Sibbald scooped the lot: Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, Young Player of the Season and Goal of the Season for a sumptuous strike at Tynecastle in January as the Bairns became the first team this season to beat eventual champions Hearts in the league.
His exquisite first touch and eye- catching tricks have already caught the eye of Manchester United, where he was invited down on trial in 2012.
His time at the club is surely ticking down before he becomes the latest big-money departure from Westfield. And should he help take the Cup home to Falkirk for the first time since 1957, it would also represent a victory for the SFA’s performance schools.
‘Transferring schools was quite difficult at the time,’ Sibbald told Sportsmail.
‘The friends I had grown up with over the years were all going to Falkirk High and it was a big change to go to Graeme High. But all I ever wanted to be was a footballer, so it wasn’t really a hard choice.
‘But there was a bit of jealousy from the other pupils. They didn’t like us much at the start. I think they thought we loved ourselves. But we eventually won them over and after a year or so, they realised we weren’t up our own backsides.
‘After four years, I graduated at Hampden and Craig Levein, who was then the Scotland manager, gave me a signed Scotland strip with a personal good luck message, which I have still got in the house.
‘All those hours of practice definitely helped my game and my touch. I have always liked taking players on and doing tricks. At Graeme High, we got time every day to work on our skills.
‘It helped me and I felt ready for the Falkirk first team when I was 16, although I still had a lot to learn from my manager, Steven Pressley, whom I owe a lot.’
Curiously, however, the faith shown by the Sibbalds has not been reciprocated by the SFA lately. Despite his success and obvious t al ents, he continues t o be overlooked by Scotland Under-21s.
It is a clear frustration, but while Sibbald also qualifies to represent Ireland and England, he only has eyes for Scotland.
‘I’ve not been given a reason, I’ve just not been picked,’ he said.
‘I was picked for the Victory Shield and Scotland Under-17s, but I’ve not been given a chance since. But the way I see it is I just have to do better to ensure I am chosen in the future.
‘I take it as a compliment that a few people are surprised that I’m not getting called up.
‘I do qualify for England and Ireland, but I’m Scottish. I’ve lived here all my life and my dream is to play for Scotland. I’ll just keep working hard and, hopefully, get my chance.’
Sibbald’s work ethic stems from growing up on the farm, watching dad Alex working long and intense hours. Yet little did his parents know that when they backed their son’s football dream, it would play havoc with their 30th wedding anniversary plans.
The Sibbalds were meant to leave for a cruise to Sardinia today but his headed winner against Hibs saw that cancelled. As Sportsmail visited Greenrigg Farm this week, Patricia and Alex had just returned from a cruise around the Greek islands instead.
But cheering on their son in a Scottish Cup Final will be a priceless experience — as was watching him exorcise his Hampden demons against Hibs in April.
Two years previously, Sibbald had scored the opener against them in the semi-final but was left devastated as Gary Holt’s side blew a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 in extra-time.
‘I didn’t think I played too well but scoring the winner against Hibs was the best feeling I have ever had,’ said Sibbald.
‘I’m a Falkirk fan, I went to the games at Brockville with my mum and then at the Falkirk Stadium, so running over to the Falkirk fans in the corner is a moment that will stay with me forever.
‘ I thought back to that l ast semi-final against Hibs. It was a horrible moment but I used it as motivation to put it right.
‘At Hampden, t hey have a television in the dressing room and when I got back in, my goal was being played on the telly and everyone was cheering and shouting my name. It was brilliant.’
IF Sibbald i s carrying the burden of being a local hero, it certainly does not show.
Yet as a Bairn still living locally, he cannot escape the sense of excitement that is enveloping the district. Touring the area to promote the Final, he has heard fans reciting the names that are seared into the brains of Falkirk fans, even those not old enough to recall their exploits in 1957: Slater, Parker, Rae, Wright, Irvine, Prentice, Murray, Grierson, Merchant, Moran and O’Hara.
The idea of Sibbald’s name being recalled with such reverence is, he admits, a tantalising prospect.
‘ The 1957 team i s stuck in people’s minds. I’ve had people coming up and reeling off every player’s name,’ he smiled.
‘The whole town is behind the team. You can sense what this means to everyone. It’s massive. I know what it feels like because I was a fan at the last Final against Rangers in 2009 when John Hughes was our manager.
‘I used to cheer on John Hughes and Russell Latapy when I was a kid and they were Falkirk players. Scott Arfield and I used to help out with the kit and Russell was always really nice to me.
‘I liked him and I loved his style of play. He has been a big influence on how I like to play the game.
‘But, hopefully, Falkirk will win the Cup. If we win, we will become legends forever at the club. I hope that in 58 years, there will be people reciting the names of our team.’
Under a mile from Greenrigg Farm lies the Battle of Falkirk Monument, scene of a famous victory for the Jacobite Highlanders in 1746.
In 2015, Falkirk may be underdogs against John Hughes and his Highland Battalion but with Sibbald in the Falkirk ranks, there is reason for optimism.
Throw in the club’s other gifted home-grown academy graduates and the town motto suddenly springs to mind: ‘Better meddle wi’ the De’il than the Bairns o’ Falkirk’.