Thornton Hibs boss Gilbert: Bring on Glenrothes

Thornton Hibs boss Craig Gilbert stoked up the rivalry with Glenrothes after setting up a quarter-final showdown with their near neighbours in the Fife and Lothians Cup.

Glenrothes defender Gary Pearson makes a great block to deny Daniel McNab of Thornton Hibs

The Hibs sealed their place in the last eight courtesy of Garry Thomson in their 1-0 win over Bathgate Thistle last Saturday in difficult conditions at Memorial Park.

They have been rewarded with a tie against Glenrothes at the Warout Stadium, with the date of the tie still to be confirmed. Gilbert is bullish about Thornton’s chances of beating their rivals.

He told the Gazette: “I do fancy our chances. It’s a team that I hate, but I love to play against and win. It’s a love-hate relationship and I’m sure it is the same for them.

“It’s a local derby, it’s the way we have been brought up. I was player with Thornton Hibs for eight years.

“Glenrothes is a town and Thornton is a village – they got everything and we didn’t. They thought they were better than us. At the end of the game though we will still shake hands and go to the pub afterwards.”

Thornton enjoyed a narrow 1-0 win over Glens in October. Glenrothes are facing a relegation battle, level on points with bottom side Kirriemuir Thistle.

Gilbert said: “We’ve beat them this year already. We won and lost one last year so it was fairly even. We still need to go the Warout in the league and now the cup. We do not want any of the Fife teams struggling. I hope they soldier on and battle away at the bottom of the league.”

On the victory over Bathgate, Gilbert added: “The conditions were horrific. I think the scoreline flattered them as they didn’t have a shot on target and we had five. I was pleased to get the win because sometimes teams can get complacent after a Scottish Cup win, but the boys kept their feet on the ground.”