Fallen star Cairney vows to make most of career lifeline
Eight years ago Paul Cairney seemed to have the football world at his feet.
A dream move to Hibs after being a standout for Partick Thistle in the Championship was quickly followed by his first goal in the top flight in a 2-2 draw against boyhood heroes Celtic.
The midfielder was simply, as he puts it: “On flames”.
But sitting in his Armadale home eight years on, the 32-year- old accepts that red- hot streak quickly turned into a crash-and-burn story.
Cairney hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for the best part of three years since he left Peterhead. He’s living proof that living the dream only ends well if you’re prepared to put in the hard work.
He concedes he blew it after getting caught up in the “big time”and losing a battle with the bulge to a point where he is now cursed with a reputation for being overweight and lazy.
His spell at Easter Road was dogged by injuries and after an unsuccessful year at Kilmarnock he slid down the SPFL ladder with spells at Ayr United, Stranraer and Peterhead.
Cairney was convinced his football career was over.
But 33 months after his last game for the Blues – as a 84th-minute substitute against Cowdenbeath – a call arrived out of the blue that might just give him one last chance to salvage something from his playing days at Albion Rovers.
Cairney told MailSport: “I thought I was done with football.
“I’ll be honest. I have probably got a reputation now for being overweight and lazy. I need to go and prove a point, including to myself.
“I only have myself to blame for how my career has panned out. I have regrets and now it’s about working hard to make the most of the chance Brian Reid has given me.
“When Brian phoned I was actually quite shocked but he said he wanted experience and hopefully I can bring that. More than anything my three-year-old boy Leo has never seen me play. The thought of changing that drives me on too.”
Cairney admits it’s only looking back that he can see where it went wrong at Hibs where he teamed up with the likes of Leigh Griffiths and Kevin Thomson in 2012. A decade ago, while with the Jags, he was struck down by a mystery condition – feared to be Crohn’s Disease – but he refuses to use that as an excuse.
He said: “I was the fittest I’d ever been but some days I had absolutely no energy. I was chronically tired.
“They were testing for Crohn’s – my gran had passed away from the disease so it was one of the first tests they did.
“I had a lot of problems with my bowels and, without going into too much detail, it was a difficult time.
“It’s still a mystery but it’s nothing to do with the way my career has gone.
“Maybe when I went to Hibs, I was too big time, thinking I was at a massive club and everything would fall into place.
“I was absolutely flying for the first few months, I was on flames. I scored my first goal in a draw against Celtic and my family were all there to see it.
“There’s a highlights package and pundit Neil McCann says Hibs will be successful if they keep guys like me playing at that level.
“But I probably got too big for my boots. I thought my career would take off and I got a bit lazy.
“I stopped doing what I had been doing at Partick, like doing boxing training in my own time. I was probably eating too much as well.
“By the end of that f irst season I was out of the team but got back in for the Scottish Cup semi against Falkirk at Hampden.
“It was my first start in two months and probably the worst performance of my career. I got hooked at half-time and never played again that season.
“My dad told me I was putting on weight but I said I’d be fine. Looking back he was right while I was 100 per cent wrong.
“I regret not working harder to give myself a chance to still be at Hibs or at least a decent level.
“I got a move to Killie but never really got started. Again I never worked hard enough and paid the price. I’m at an age now where I must be honest with myself.
“I want to repay Brian for taking a chance – but more than anything, I want to prove I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
I got too big for my boots .. I thought career will take off and got lazy