How Paul McGinn is eyeing Hibs family bragging rights with unique double

John McGinn might well have overhead kick goals for Scotland as well as League Cup and Scottish Cup winning medals with St Mirren and Hibs.
Paul McGinn in his Queen's Park days against Albion RoversPaul McGinn in his Queen's Park days against Albion Rovers
Paul McGinn in his Queen's Park days against Albion Rovers

But his elder brother Paul is targeting becoming a member of his own exclusive club – those who have lifted both the Scottish Amateur Cup and the senior version.

He wonders if it’s been done before. Monday’s victory over Queen of the South – which earns Hibs a last-16 tie back in Dumfries and Galloway at Stranraer – means he’s one step closer to realising this possibly unique, certainly in modern times, claim to fame. It would definitely be one over the celebrated John.

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“I’ve got a Scottish Amateur Cup winner’s medal from Queen’s Park so there you go – he’s not!” said Paul. “There can’t be many people have done that double of an amateur and senior Scottish Cup so that would be nice. We won it against Hurlford Thistle, they (the organisers) never let us back in it after that.

Strong showing at the back from Mr Consistency. Great vision to start attack for third goal.Strong showing at the back from Mr Consistency. Great vision to start attack for third goal.
Strong showing at the back from Mr Consistency. Great vision to start attack for third goal.

“I remember they took the lead but we came back to win it. There were a few tough games on the way to the final, I can tell you that.”

That winner’s medal from 2009 already offers Paul, 30, some bragging rights in the family parlour fame of ‘show us your medals’ – another brother, Stephen, is currently on loan from Hibs at Morton. “To be fair, I don’t think John really listens when I tell him I’ve got a winner’s medal,” said Paul.

John’s medal from when Hibs finally ended their 114-year Scottish Cup hoodoo against Rangers in 2016 is particularly precious. Hibs don’t want to wait that long again with this year already looking promising – if they get past Stranraer at Stair Park next weekend, it will earn a home meeting in the last eight against Motherwell or Morton.

“We want to go one further than the last three (competitions) but there’s two hard games to come before the semis,” said Paul, who played in the defeat to Hearts in a delayed Scottish Cup semi-final earlier this season. “We have to go to Stranraer. I know from my Queen’s Park days that’s the worst drive in Scottish football!

“It’ll be their cup final and it will definitely be windy as well. We want to get to another semi-final and get that monkey off our back. But I’m sure the Old Firm will have that same monkey from the last competition, when they never even reached the semis. There’ll be a few of us with the same monkey, trying to get it off our back!”

Much will likely depend on Christian Doidge continuing his current scoring form. The striker has scored three in his last outings as he eyes a place in the Wales squad for Euro 2020.

“The only way for him to do that is keep scoring goals,” said McGinn. “In this league he has to do that to get recognition which is sad but if he can do that then, surely, they’ve got to start thinking about taking him, even as a second option if they need to go long. If we can get to the final that might help. The more games on TV at the end of the season the better for him!”

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