McGinn eyes final after almost quitting
FALKIRK captain Stephen McGinn is relishing the prospect of being potentially 90 minutes from a Scottish Cup final three years after coming close to quitting the game. The midfielder fell out of love with football when he received a call from St Mirren during the Covid pandemic telling him his contract was not being renewed. But a lifeline from Hibs manager Jack Ross saw him move to Easter Road and he subsequently starred as Kilmarnock won the Championship under Derek McInnes. Even still, a Scottish Cup final was the last thing on the 34-year-old’s mind when he moved to third-tier Falkirk last summer. ‘I was close to quitting when I got the phone call from St Mirren. We had just had a baby, Hannah, who was three or four months old at the time. ‘It was during Covid and I didn’t know if football was going to resume again, so I was trying to think sensibly: “Look, I’ve lived my dream, I’m happy with my career and what I’ve done”. I needed to provide for my family. ‘So I thank Jack Ross for picking up the phone and giving me the opportunity at Hibs, which kept me involved and kept me training and kept my hunger. ‘Since then I’ve won the league with Kilmarnock and now I have a semi-final to look forward to — so I’m really thankful I stuck at it.’ McGinn is the elder of three brothers, with Scotland national team hero John winning the League Cup with St Mirren and the Scottish Cup with Hibs. Right-back Paul is at Motherwell and made his national team debut playing alongside John in Austria in 2021. Stephen is not planning a ‘show-yourmedals’ contest with his siblings any time soon. ‘If I compare myself to John I’ll be in trouble,’ he grinned. ‘He has had his moments and then Paul and I fight it out! The sibling rivalry is strong but we are also really supportive of each other.’