Pat Fenlon not fazed by Hibs’ 110 years of Cup failure

SO how do you deal with the weight of history at a club like Hibernian? How, when you are preparing for a Scottish Cup semi-final, do you cope with the pressure from supporters who have never seen their team lift the trophy, and who are tired of being reminded by their rivals that 110 years have passed since the cup was last paraded down Easter Road?

For Pat Fenlon, the answer is simple. You live in the present, and don’t dwell on the past.

The Hibs players who will turn out against Aberdeen tomorrow are not responsible for that century and more of failure in the competition. And the manager, while entirely willing to take responsibility for results since he arrived late last year, does not feel burdened by the disappointments suffered by his predecessors.

“The good thing about it is I’ve only been here five months, so it’s not something that has been hammered into me,” Fenlon said yesterday. “It’s not my fault – not yet. That might change on Saturday.

“But, seriously, it’s a plus for me. Because I know, from talking to everyone at the club, it’s an issue.

“I’m not steeped in the history or traditions of the club, so that expectation hasn’t hit me as much. It’s my first go at the Scottish Cup. We’ve reached a semi-final. Let’s kick on and reach the final – that would be a good start.”

Fenlon feels that, coming towards the end of an arduous season for his team, the semi-final can offer the players a chance to forget about even the recent history of the club, and concentrate on taking that extra step into a final against either Celtic or Hearts. “It’s going to be a great occasion,” the manager continued. “To lead the club at Hampden for a game like this, that’s what you want to do as a manager.

“It will be a nice prize to give the supporters and everyone at the club – a great day out at Hampden, a fantastic occasion. But I don’t think it impacts on the rest of the season. We’re second bottom of the league, it doesn’t change that.

“But obviously to have something at the end of it all, going into next season at all, it would give everyone a lift to finish with a cup final. Personally it is rewarding, but I’ve only been here a short period of time, so it’s more rewarding for the folk who have been here for years.

“But it only matters if you win. You can enjoy occasions like this when you look back on your career, say: “Well, I got to Hampden.”

“On the day, it’s a horrible place to be if you don’t win a semi-final. We will only enjoy it if we win and get to the final.”

Perhaps enjoyment cannot be guaranteed, but Fenlon hopes he will not have too much work to do when it comes to the players’ attitude. “You are hopeful, when you come into semi-finals, that you have less to do as a manager.

“You’ve still got to organise the team, give them the information they need about the opposition and how we’re going to play. But when it comes to what’s at stake and the prize on offer, players should be up to speed with that themselves.

“It can affect players in different ways, though, so we have to make sure they play the game, rather than playing the occasion. We have to make sure they don’t play it all out before the game kicks off, so that everybody’s got the energy to go and play.

“That’s really important in semi-finals, particularly, that you treat it like a game, that’s all. And it only really matters if you win it.”

If Hibs do win tomorrow’s match, it will mean that the current squad is only one game away from a hallowed place in the annals of the club. That includes all those players who are currently at Easter Road on loan, who may return to their original clubs in the summer, and whose time in a green-and-white jersey would otherwise rate no more than a passing mention.

“There is probably a bigger prize on offer for Hibs than anyone else, purely because they haven’t won it for so long,” Fenlon continued. “It means more.

“The drive to reach out and reach the cup final is fantastic. And if these guys go and win it, they can always come back here and be treated decently forever. It’s a massive incentive for everybody.

“I think Hibs should be in this sort of a game more often. It’s a big club with a lot of history and tradition. We should be competing in cup finals on a regular basis – whether that’s the League Cup or Scottish Cup.

The plan is to reach more semi-finals and finals. That’s the target, to get the club back to where we think we should be.

“Aberdeen are similar, a club with fantastic history, and they’ll feel that they need to get back to where they belong.

I know the people in charge there will feel that strongly, that Aberdeen deserve to be at a higher level.

“Just like with us, though, you only get that by working hard and showing that you deserve it. It doesn’t happen just because you are Hibs or Aberdeen. You have to be competitive enough to reach that level consistently.”