Hibs ready to continue fantastic form in ‘magical’ Scottish Cup

Hibs ended 2023 on a massive high. The capital side oversaw six wins in their last seven games including a 2-1 win over Hearts before the Christmas break came into play. Now, after three weeks with no competitive football, Murray is ready to continue the club’s momentum into 2024. 

“We are certainly looking forward to the game,” she told the Edinburgh Evening News. “This week has been a good training week so far. Over Christmas and the New Year, we have kept ourselves ticking over. We feel that we haven’t dipped in any sort of physical levels. Now, the focus is fully on St. Johnstone on Sunday. 

“Keeping us over Christmas and New Year has helped keep the cohesion on the pitch. We had players who went back home to the States, but other than that the players were still together throughout that period of time. We feel like we can pick up where we left off before the break.”

Hibs will welcome SWPL2 outfit St. Johnstone to Meadowbank on Sunday as they aim to progress to the next round. Grant Scott has already guided his side to a Sky Sports semi-final against Partick Thistle later this month after a successful first half of the season. 

‘Cup magic’ is always a term that comes around in the Scottish Cup with Murray well aware of the memorable moments that it can provide. The captain has lifted the famous trophy on numerous occasions and is now aiming to collect another medal this season.  However, Murray is wary of the potential threats St. Johnstone has and insists her side must treat their opposition with “respect” if they want to progress. 

“Cup games bring a different vibe and a different feel,” Murray added. “Although we were in over the festive period, the girls had more time off than we normally would on a scheduled week. You can see the freshness coming back this week and the girls are absolutely buzzing and are looking forward to getting that reward which is always that game after a hard training week. 

“Regardless of what league the opposition plays in, we will treat the opposition with respect and Sunday is no different. We have looked at the areas where they could potentially pose a threat and equally the areas where we could threaten them. We have set up this week as we do every week and we certainly haven’t lowered any standards on and off the pitch because of the opposition playing in the league below. 

“We are a club with a proud history in both of the cups. This year is no different, we want to continue with that tradition and progress as far as we can in every tournament we play in. Hopefully, we can get this campaign off to a good start.”