Gray goal is to send Sammy home happy
IF you prove indomitable enough to reach your 106th birthday, you’d like to think you have seen all the triumphs and tribulations that life can summon. For Sammy Martinez, though, there is one little joy still yet to be savoured. His beloved Hibernian winning the Scottish Cup. Born eight years after the nation’s oldest trophy was last resident in Leith in 1902, this most senior member of the Hibs Supporters’ Club moved to Edinburgh from his native Belize in 1942.
His long-standing love affair with Easter Road began not long after. In all, this afternoon’s meeting with Rangers will be his 10th cup final as a supporter. The club have given Mr Martinez a ticket for the game, while a local firm, Penicuik Taxis, are laying on a cab to ferry him to and from Hampden.
What he wants most of all, of course, is to see David Gray hoist the trophy in the air, bringing an end to the most talked-about wait in Scottish football. And the Hibs captain admits his presence will provide one of many motivations to salvage a season that promised so much with an indelible place in history.
‘Is it his 10th final? Nae pressure then..,’ smiled Gray. ‘Sammy has been at Player of the Year functions and I’ve met him a couple of times. It’s great to see someone like that who manages to follow their team and support them through thick and thin. 106 years… that’s not worth thinking about.
‘We put pressure on ourselves to win every game. You can’t be thinking this can’t happen because it hasn’t happened for so long. We believe we can win. We’ve believed all season that we’re a good side who can beat anybody on our day and this game’s no different.’
For all at Hibs, the past eight days have been about trying to regroup and recover from the brutal erasure of their promotion ambitions.
That last-gasp play-off defeat to Falkirk was a source of deep hurt but Gray (right), is adamant they will face Rangers renewed.
‘It was obviously very disappointing but we were reminded we’ve still one of the highlights of the season to come, a big opportunity and we have to prepare for that,’ he said.
‘After the Falkirk game, I went home and stared into space for a while. You wake up the next day still disappointed but you have to quickly get it out of your mind.
‘If you sit about and feel sorry for yourself, you win nothing. We came in on Monday, trained very well — as we have all week — and we are all raring to go. We have been playing so many games, two and three a week at some stages, so sometimes it’s important to come away and switch off from it totally. I had a bit of family time with my daughter.’
Returning to the Premiership was obviously the key priority, but would claiming the Cup — at long last — be compensation?
‘Yes, it would be a great achievement after the disappointment of last week and to repay the fans,’ said Gray. ‘They are hurting, as we are. It’s another game, but at the same time it is the sort of occasion you might never get again. Then there’s the history of the club and all that goes along with that.
‘But at the same time, we can’t look too far ahead of any talk of becoming legends or whatever, it’s more a case of the chance to win the Scottish Cup. It’s a massive game of football. No one needs more motivation than that.’
Speculation over the future of manager Alan Stubbs may continue regardless of the outcome, with both Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers having placed him under consideration.
Stubbs, though, emphasised this week that he was already planning for next season at Easter Road, which was a very welcome bulletin for Gray.
‘It’s great,’ he added. ‘He signed me, took a chance on me and I’ve enjoyed my football playing under him. He’s a fantastic coach, as are all his staff. It’s a real good place to come in and work every single day. If we could go and lift the Cup, it would be a great win we could all share in together.
‘You never know what’s going to happen in the future. Some of the players have had great seasons and there’s always going to be interest in young players that are doing well.’ Jason Cummings is one of those young players attracting attention from other clubs, although he found himself under scrutiny for a different reason this week when he was pictured having a kick-about with his mates in Edinburgh’s Saughton enclosure.
‘That’s typical Jason, he just wants to play football. He’s one of the boys,’ said Gray.