Roly-Poly Goalie Conrad Logan was just what Hibs needed to end Scottish Cup hoodoo

When Conrad Logan walked into the Hibernian dressing room, there were few clues that he would emerge as a key man in the club’s biggest success story of the century.

Former Hibs goalkeeper Conrad Logan. Picture: SNS

But while most Hibs fans will recognise the date – 21 May, 2016 – and the last-gasp heroics of David Gray, the part played by the Irish keeper in getting them to that final will also be etched on the memories of his team-mates and the Easter Road supporters forever.

Dubbed the Roly-Poly Goalie, due to the fact he was carrying a few extra pounds as a consequence of a lengthy injury lay-off, he threw that weight about effectively when he made his debut for the Leith club, in the semi-final against Dundee United, at Hampden, on 16 April 2016, saving them during the match before shining in the penalty shoot-out.

“Yeah, he came in having not played in a while and you are always judging as soon as someone walks in the door,” admits the Hibs defender Darren McGregor. “It was unfortunate what happened to big Ox [first-choice goalkeeper Mark Oxley, who missed the semi-final through suspension] but unbeknownst to us at that time, we got lucky and Conrad came in and was such a big ball of energy and such a lovely guy. He worked hard and was surprisingly agile and demanding. He was a great addition and exactly what we needed at that time and his performance was the difference in us going through.”

As the two sides prepare to face up once again on cup duty, this time at Tannadice in the fourth round, rather than the national stadium with a place in the final at stake, one of the men who played in front of the former Leicester keeper that day, McGregor, pictured, recalls the impact one man can have on these knockout contests.

“I know most people would, obviously, point to the cup final as the most memorable game because we won but the most anxious game was the semi-final. Everybody can remember big Conrad coming in, having not played for several months and then pulling off that display. There was the one v ones he saved and then there was his antics in the penalty shoot-out.

“I remember Stubbsy [manager Alan Stubbs] saying ‘who wants to take a penalty?’ And I think I was actually behind big Conrad in the pecking order! I missed one at U14s and it has scarred me. But it was a great occasion. We definitely rode our luck in patches of that game but to come out the other end of it… the big man takes all the plaudits in that one.

“There are lots of things within that Scottish Cup run that you could point to, like Paul Hanlon’s goal at Tynecastle [a late equaliser against Hearts in the fifth round], where I set him up, and there was my goal at Raith Rovers which kicked it all off, so we all had our part to play but his contribution was one of the biggest factors in us going through.

“Hibs fans and all us players will always hold him dear to our hearts for his performance that day against Dundee United.”

That day Hibs were the Championship side, Dundee United the top tier outfit. Fortunes are reversed this afternoon as Robbie Neilson’s promotion-chasing side play host to a Premiership team capable of competing with the best in the country but still looking for consistency.

The television companies have picked it out as one of the potential banana skins but Hibs boss Jack Ross and his squad will go into the match with far less pressure on their shoulders than might have been the case had the club not found a way to overcome their opponents four years ago and gone on to dispel the notion of a curse.

“I’m good friends with [Airdrie boss] Ian Murray, who’s a proper Hibs fan,” said Ross. “I didn’t appreciate how much until I started to work with him [at Dumbarton].

“I knew he’d been Hibs captain but when I got to know him and spent time with him – I realised he followed the club home and away as a youngster and, speaking to him, I realised how big a deal [the Scottish Cup drought] was. Being on the outside looking in, you get it, but don’t really appreciate it.

“We certainly don’t want to go that length of time again. The quicker we do it again, the better. But it’s healthy for me that the Scottish Cup jinx is out the way.

“I had it at Sunderland last year who have now lost their last seven visits to Wembley. When we lost the sixth one against Portsmouth then went back for the play-off final against Charlton, people started talking about there being a hex.

“It isn’t anything, really. But the longer people speak about it – it’s human nature. And, I’m sure it was the same for the countless players who’d passed through Hibs and the people in my job, not winning the cup for that length of time. So, the group Alan had, has done me a favour in that regard.”