Europe beckons for big brother
PAUL McGINN AIMS TO EMULATE JOHN
IT’S approaching midnight at Baker Street tube station and a familiar chorus breaks out… ‘We’ve got McGinn…’ A ubiquitous chant around London for days and sung heartily during Scotland’s draw at Wembley earlier that evening, this rendition offers a lyrical twist.
For there, grinning at the foot of an escalator is ‘super’ Paul McGinn, fresh from watching brother John perform with such verve in the national team’s tournament highlight.
‘They recognised me because I look exactly like John, only a skinnier version!’ laughs the Hibs defender. ‘It’s fair to say I had some good hospitality from the Tartan Army...’
No stranger to the Scotland set-up either, Paul does himself a disservice. Yet having earned a first international call-up from Steve Clarke for last September’s Nations League ties against the Czech Republic and Slovakia he was happy to revert to the role of supporter when the Euro 2020 finals rolled round.
‘There was a real excitement down at Wembley and it felt normal again, being at games with supporters,’ he continued. ‘I was proud to see John out there. He is still beating himself up about the (missed) chance and I’m sure he will continue to do that until the next tournament.
‘But the team did great that night. It’s just a pity we couldn’t stay in a bit longer.’
Now it’s Paul’s turn to enjoy some European action as he prepares for Hibs’ Conference League qualifier against Santa Coloma of Andorra on Thursday night.
He recalls Hibs’ last crack at European football in 2018 when his younger sibling rattled home a decisive away goal in Greece to eliminate Asteras Tripolis in the Europa League preliminaries.
‘I remember watching the game and seeing the fans going mental behind that goal,’ says the 30-year-old full-back. ‘Hopefully we can go on a wee run ourselves and experience something similar.
‘It would be nice if I could score and then get a multi-million pound move to the Premier League!
‘I have never played in Europe before so it will be great to do it for the first time.
‘We’ve played every team in this country a million times so we’re looking forward to the excitement of coming up against sides from different countries.’
Hibs will enjoy home advantage in Thursday’s first leg against the Andorrans and have set a target of reaching the group stage of UEFA’s new third-tier competition.
Paul added: ‘I’m old enough to remember the Cup Winners’ Cup. I watched that as a young boy and I hope this can turn into something similar — a competition that is treated really strongly.
‘I know UEFA have banned fans from travelling so it’s important we get through to give them a chance to come and follow us, later in the competition. I’m sure a few will pop up in Andorra regardless!’
Last season manager Jack Ross guided Hibs to a third-place Premiership finish, before they came up short in the Scottish Cup final. As a consequence it’s Saints who will have a crack at the Europa League qualifiers, while Hibs aim for a place in the Conference League.
While Ross is likely to place a trophy among his goals for the new season, maintaining a diet of European football through the autumn will be on his target list.
‘I have spoken often enough about setting lofty but realistic ambitions and I think the group stage is another one of those,’ said the manager. ‘It’s certainly not impossible and it’s within the capabilities of the club and this team.
‘We need certain things to go our way — be that in the draws we get and how we perform.
‘We worked hard to get into Europe and we want to stay in as long as we can.
‘There’s a psychological aspect to it, knowing you’re a good side and understanding what you need to do to win games.
‘This group have been used to doing that more often than not and it’s about taking that into Europe.
After spells at Alloa, St Mirren and Sunderland, Ross has covered plenty of managerial ground but Europe remains uncharted territory.
‘The players are in a good place going into Thursday — they are excited about it and so am I,’ he said. ‘It’s my first time managing in Europe.
‘I was looking forward to finding out where we were going and then putting the logistics in place. There’s a challenge to then juggle all that with league fixtures but it’s good.
‘I’ve been fortunate to have different challenges in my career. This is another one.’
While Celtic will welcome 9,000 fans to Parkhead for their Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland, and Aberdeen have permission for 5,665 against BK Hacken, Hibs are still waiting for their access figure.
Having welcomed a small crowd in for their midweek win over Arsenal, Ross believes the fans are bound to impact the occasion positively.
‘The stadium felt significantly different on Tuesday,’ he says. ‘We had just under 2,000 there and it felt like an awful lot more. It was just great to have real noise.
‘If that’s what we get from 2,000 then having a few more thousand will make a massive difference.
‘It will add to the intensity and players do feed off that.
‘There is a bit of frustration from our side. Celtic and Aberdeen have confirmation from their local authorities to have decent numbers. Hopefully ours will be the same.’