Hibs' John Rankin prepares to face former club Ross County in Cup, determined to avoid replay

Published on Friday 12 March 2010 09:29

HAVE boots will travel has been the code by which John Rankin has lived throughout his playing career.

• John Rankin

As such, the midfielder has clocked up plenty of miles, the lad from Airdrie's wanderlust having taken him from Manchester United via Brazil to the Scottish Highlands and back, finally, to the central belt with Hibs.

Of all his various destinations, it was the three years he spent at Ross County, the Easter Road club's opponents in tomorrow's Active Nation Scottish Cup quarter-final, rebuilding his career after turning his back on Old Trafford, he possibly recalls with the greatest of affection.

But, while he has fond memories of Dingwall's Victoria Park, the 26-year-old today insisted he was in no rush to return, adamant that he and his team-mates want their place in the semi-finals of the Cup assured tomorrow without recourse to a replay up north on Tuesday week.

Although there will be few familiar faces on the County team coach which pulls up in the east end of Edinburgh, Rankin believes John Hughes' side, viewed as having enjoyed a huge slice of luck once again in drawing lower-league opposition following home ties against Junior club Irvine Meadow and then struggling Montrose, face a testing afternoon.

Pointing to First Division side County pushing Dundee all the way in the race for promotion to the SPL, he said: "It's not going to be easy by any manner of means, they are a good side, well-organised with plenty of top-flight experience.

"The memories I have are that they always played good football, trying to pass the ball and play in the right manner. They'll be looking to give a good account of themselves so I am sure it will be a great game for the fans."

Rankin also identified the presence of Craig Brewster as assistant to County boss Derek Adams as another weapon in the visitors' armoury, the former Hibs striker having brought another of his old club's Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Easter Road and emerging victorious in the past.

Likewise, Rankin has no doubts Adams and Brewster will be exhorting their players to use Hibs' miserable Cup history, 108 years and counting since they last lifted this particular piece of silverware, to their advantage, although he insisted he and his team-mates don't allow the past to influence the present.

He said: "Obviously it's the question that comes up every year when the Cup comes around but, while we can't let the past affect us, we are desperate to win it. Since I have been at Hibs, Rangers put us out in a replay at Ibrox and then Hearts beat us here last year, I'm sure people wonder if it is ever going to happen.

"Our supporters are desperate for us to win the Cup and, as players, we know we will be legends if we can become the team that does it."

Rankin is also aware of many claiming this could, finally, be Hibs' year given the way the draw has worked out so far but, he insisted, they shouldn't be decried for having enjoyed the luck they've enjoyed thus far with three successive home draws.

He said: "You can only beat the team that you are drawn against. People can say you are lucky but then they ignore the fact you've had the likes of Rangers first up the other year.

"You can say it's luck or whatever but you still have to win your ties.

"We've done that, Irvine Meadow made it very difficult for us, against Montrose we were a bit more convincing, a bit more ruthless and now we are looking at getting beyond Ross County and into the semi-final.

"I loved my time up there, it was a great experience for me as a young boy but, no offence, I'm not looking to be heading back there next week, we want to take care of the tie here in Edinburgh tomorrow."

But, while he's determined to end his old club's hopes of creating a Cup upset, Rankin admitted he'll be for ever grateful for the opportunity they afforded him to rebuild his career after he decided to quit Manchester United in the search for regular first-team football.

As a schoolboy, Rankin had plenty of options, he could have stayed in Scotland having been courted by both sides of the Old Firm and Dundee United, opting for Old Trafford thanks to the English club's well-developed commitment to the further education of young players. Even so, he admitted, it was a heart-wrenching decision, a great sacrifice not only on his part but his parents Janice and Ian, one he appreciates all the more as a father to daughter Maya.

He said: "It would have been ideal, aged 15 turning 16 to stay at home with mum and dad, it was a big step to be leaving home, moving all that distance away at that age.

"Fair play to them, my parents advised me to go, now I am a father myself I can't see me saying that to my kid at 16, it would probably tear you apart. But it was a sacrifice you have to make."

At Man U, like other youngsters, Rankin went to college on a Monday morning, trained that afternoon, the Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to his studies for a full day on the Thursday, the upshot being he has qualifications in computing, sports science and sport tourism, safeguards, he admitted against injury or failing to make the grade.

However, he found himself, along with fellow trainee Ben Muirhead, crossing the Atlantic to Brazil on loan to Corinthians in Sao Paulo, an experience he still recalls with a shudder.

He said: "The initial plan was to go for a month but we found ourselves not eating for two days. No-one spoke English, we were picked up, dropped off for training and then picked up to go back to where we were staying.

"There was absolute poverty, kids aged six or seven hanging sweets on the wing mirrors of cars hoping you'd take one and have to pay them. Corinthians wanted me to stay until Christmas but this was only June and, after ten or 11 days we came home, I celebrated my 18th birthday on the flight back." Rankin, though, was faced with another massive decision as it became clear in his fourth year with the Red Devils that first-team opportunities would be strictly limited. And so he returned north of the Border only to discover finding another club wouldn't be as easy as some might expect.

He said: "I had a week at Aberdeen but I saw right away going into Steve Paterson's office I wasn't for him. His exact words were he wanted a "bruiser" rather than a football player. Motherwell were going into administration and couldn't afford to take anyone on."

Salvation came in the form of County and then manager Alex Smith. Rankin said: "Again, it was a massive decision but he told me he'd give me one guarantee, that after pre-season I'd start the first match. After that it was up to me to keep myself in the team.

"That was what I was looking for. At the end of the day, you could only blame yourself if it did not go right. County and Alex gave me that chance and I will always be grateful for it."