Wingate aims to give Hibs another scare in Scottish Cup

HIS famous namesake, Major-General Orde Wingate, overcame massive odds in leading the successful Chindits campaign against the Japanese in Burma in World War II. Now Irvine Meadow defender Derek Wingate is hoping for another victory against massive odds, in his junior club's Active Nation Scottish Cup tie against Hibernian at Easter Road tomorrow.

In his day job with the international courier company Fed-Ex, Wingate is expected to deliver, but if he and his team mates can deliver a win over the high-flying Edinburgh outfit, it will be just about the biggest shock in the long history of the Cup.

Meadow fans can take some cheer, however, from the fact the defender has previous when it comes to making life tough for Hibs in the Scottish Cup.

"In my first season in the senior ranks with Stranraer, we drew Hibs and held them to a 0-0 draw at Stair Park," he recalled. "In fact, the referee bottled giving us a last-minute penalty which might have won it for us and in the replay at Easter Road, they got an early goal and beat us 4-0 – just about the only game Franck Sauzee won as manager."

Indeed, after that Stair Park scare, the win for Hibs at Easter Road was Sauzee's first in his short but ill-fated reign as manager. Paco Luna opened the scoring in the replay, David Zitelli scored from the spot, Gary Smith headed a third before Eduardo 'The Tank' Hurtado completed a rare win for the French manager.

But Wingate did not feel overawed mixing it with Hibs' continental team, and he enjoyed the experience. He added: "They had some good players in that team, Smith at the back, John O'Neil, Garry O'Connor, Luna, the boy (Ulises] Del la Cruz who went to Aston Villa and Freddie Arpinon, who was one helluva player.

"You saw their quality when they realised the weren't going to win at our place, they sat in and more-or-less kept the ball off us.

"From what little I've seen of Hibs this season, I expect another very hard afternoon. They are a very good passing side, but, it's a cup tie and if every one of us plays out of his skin and Hibs turn up with the wrong attitude – we'll have a real chance.

"The pressure is all on them this time – they're flying in the league, they've got home advantage and are expected to win, so, they have everything to lose, while we've got everything to win. If we can avoid losing an early goal, and press them all over the field, the longer it stays 0-0 the better for us.

"We've got a few guys with senior experience; the likes of Richie Barr, who plays up front for us was a Hibs youth player in the same team as Derek Riordan, Garry O'Connor, Kevin Thomson and so on – so he feels he's got something to prove. And, while we're a junior side in name, I feel we're as good as the Stranraer team I played in. Some people are forecasting we'll lose by a cricket score, but I don't see that happening.

"Whatever the outcome, we'll battle all the way, we've had just one game in weeks, a bounce effort against St Mirren on Monday, while training has been difficult during the current freeze and we may tire late on, but I expect adrenaline to get us through on Saturday."