Cup win still so surreal for Hibs hero Stevenson
EVEN standing a few feet away from the famous old trophy, almost eight months after raising it into the air at Hampden, there’s a part of Lewis Stevenson still disbelieving.
‘Sometimes I wake up and think: “Did that happen?”,’ admitted the Hibernian defender. ‘I don’t think it will quite sink in until I retire from football… the achievement and how much it means to everyone — and the days that followed it.’
He temporarily escaped the mayhem that ensued inside the Famous Five Suite of the Hibernian Supporters Club in the shadow of Easter Road, where fans queued patiently with their cameras to bear witness to the ending of the biggest hoodoo in sport.
By the time the club begins their first defence of the Scottish Cup in 114 years against Bonnyrigg Rose on Saturday, they’ll have taken it around a school for every year the jinx remained in place and to over 200 community venues in total.
Stevenson has pressed the flesh, posed for pictures and heard the countless stories, but still that sense of the surreal has never quite left him.
‘I’ve honestly never watched it from start to finish,’ he said of the game that was being replayed on giant screens in the adjacent room. ‘I’m sure I will watch it at some point.’
This deserves further scrutiny. Is there part of him that feels a re-run from start to finish might somehow give rise to an alternative ending?
‘In case I lose, aye!’ he laughed. ‘I hate watching myself on the telly and it’s probably to do with that.
‘I think I’d still feel the pressure of the game even though we eventually did win it.
‘My wee boy Louie has watched it a few times and I’ve poked in and out. He’s four, nearly five. He loves it. I’m sure I’ll have plenty times to cherish that moment.
‘I’m sure David (Gray) has watched it 100 times over. So would I if I’d scored the winner.’
Perhaps only a multiple of that number of viewings will finally convince Stevenson of the outcome. The source of such bewilderment is not hard to locate. A lifelong fan of the club, the annals of failure stretching back to 1902 continually dragged him down.
Even when Gray’s header flashed into the Rangers net in the second minute of stoppage time last May, he refused to believe what was unfolding before his eyes.
Asked when he started believing he could win it, the 29-year-old replied: ‘Probably when the referee blew the final whistle.
‘I never thought we would win it. I know I’m not supposed to say that and it’s about being positive. But because I’ve been there so many times before, I didn’t want to make myself think about winning it because I’ve done that before and I knew how bad it was when you don’t win it.’
When did you do that? ‘I don’t really want to mention it.’
The 2012 Final against Hearts? ‘Aye, probably. I hate bringing it up. That was probably the time.
‘The squad we had last season was by far stronger than the squad we had then.
‘Even the Celtic one (in 2013), we kind of went into that with no pressure, but Celtic probably had the better team and were probably going to win.
‘Even with the Rangers one when people were saying: “I think you’ve got a chance”. I never quite believed it.
‘I just focused on the game. We had played them six, seven times that season, so we knew each other inside out. It was going to be tight and I never wanted to imagine what it would be like to win it because I knew how bad it would be tasting defeat.’
It would not be too palatable at Tynecastle on Saturday, either. The players of Bonnyrigg Rose may be predominantly playing for the love of the game, but there is much to suggest the New Dundas Park side are adept at playing it, too.
Not only are the Junior outfit the reigning East Region Super League champions, their victory in a replay against Dumbarton in the third round underscored the folly in underestimating them.
‘I don’t think there would be much difference between a top Junior team and some of the lower league teams in Scotland,’ said Stevenson. ‘They put out Dumbarton in the last round — who have beaten Dundee United and Falkirk since then.
‘So we know they are a good team playing at a good level. There’s a few players I recognise from my Pro Youth days and players I knew from when I was younger.
‘I know they are good players. It’s a fine balance between being professional footballers and not.’
Although there is an expectation that Hibs will progress with something to spare, the pressure on them to win the trophy is not as intense as it was last season.
But while most fans would have gladly foregone promotion to see true history made a year back, the reverse is not exactly true now.
‘There’s probably less pressure now,’ said Stevenson. ‘You probably felt most pressure in the Scottish Cup games in the past, but that’s kind of come off having won it.
‘I know what the manager (Neil Lennon) is like. He wants to win every game and he’ll want to win it himself at Hibs. I’m sure the pressure will still be there to win it again.
‘The fans are always demanding and they’ll want as much silverware as possible. We’ve got a good enough squad to win it, so I don’t see any reason why we can’t. It is a tough task because it took us 100-odd years to do it last time. ’
In the post-war era, Aberdeen are the only club outwith the Old Firm to have retained the trophy. Lightening rarely strikes twice.
‘It was hard enough to win it the first time and it will probably be even harder because people will want to take our scalp being the holders,’ added Stevenson.
‘When we played Hearts (in 2012-13), they were the holders and we put them out in the first round they were in. Teams will rise to the occasion playing against us.
‘It does not mean we’ve got any less to play for than we did last year.’
I am sure David Gray has watched the match 100 times over I do not see any reason why we can’t lift the trophy again