'I love the Scottish Cup' - Hibs ace is glad tournament has not gone way of FA Cup

Jason Naismith’s passion for the Scottish Cup is as inescapable as it is infectious. The Hibs right-back is relieved that the country’s showpiece knockout tournament retains its sense of magic in an era when so much of the game’s tradition is being trashed, particularly in England.

As he prepares to face Dundee United in a mouthwatering fourth-round tie at Tannadice on Sunday, the 25-year-old from Paisley outlined a craving to get his hands on the old trophy as he chases the first silverware of his career. “There’s a different feel about it when you play in the Scottish Cup,” Naismith told the Evening News. “I love the atmosphere in this tournament. I love that the Scottish Cup still means so much up here - it’s still a traditional cup competition and I like how every team still wants to win it.

“I was saying to somebody the other week it’s sad to see what’s happened to the FA Cup but it shows you the difference in passion between Scotland and England. The money down there is kind of killing the passion with regard to the FA Cup, but the Scottish Cup still has an excitement up here.

“Even Celtic and Rangers still tend to play their full-strength team no matter who they’re playing. Every team and manager in Scotland knows the importance of this competition. We’re no different - we want to go all the way.”

Naismith’s desire to experience Scottish Cup glory while wearing a Hibs strip is further fuelled by memories of his long-time friend and former St Mirren colleague John McGinn doing likewise in 2016. “I’m well aware what happened a few years ago here and what it meant to so many people when Hibs won it,” he said. “When McGinn won it, he didn’t shut up about it. He’s my good mate so I was delighted for him. I speak to him every day and he was buzzing when he won it. He said it was one of the best days of his life. Obviously that’s a motivation for myself since I’ve come to Hibs. You know what Hibs are all about and what the Scottish Cup means to this club, so we’ll be right up for it on Sunday.”

Hibs will have been inactive for a full three weeks by the time they face runaway Championship leaders United on Sunday. Naismith, on loan from Peterborough United, is pleased his team have a high-profile, high-risk fixture in which to return after the winter break. “It will be hard because they’re flying, but, for me, it’s a good game to have after the break,” he said. “Tannadice is always a good place to play and we’ve sold out the away end so it’ll be a brilliant occasion. They’re full of confidence and they’ll fancy their chances against us, but we’re confident as well.

“When you get a drawn away to a top-end Championship team, it’s never going to be easy so we’ll need to be on our mettle. We’ll not go there with any fear but we’ll definitely respect them because they’re a good outfit. They’re basically promoted already - it looks like they’ll be back in the Premierhsip next season, but hopefully they won’t be going any further in the Scottish Cup.”

Naismith is well aware of the threat posed by Dundee United talisman Shankland, a former St Mirren teammate of his. The Tannadice striker has scored 24 goals this season while also earning his first full caps for Scotland. Naismith insists his former colleague’s talent was never in question but he is impressed by the manner in which he has taken his game to a new level in recent seasons. “I played with Shanks in his two loan spells at St Mirren,” he said. “In his first spell, he was flying and in his second spell, he struggled a bit but everybody in that team was struggling, to be fair. He’s a great boy so I’m delighted he’s doing so well.

“You could always tell he had quality but I could never have imagined he would play for Scotland because we were both in a struggling St Mirren team at the time. He also had a loan spell at Morton after he left us but fair play to him for sticking at it. I think he got himself fitter and benefited from making the brave decision to go down to League One with Ayr when he could easily still have got a Championship team after leaving Aberdeen. He obviously found a place that suited him and now he’s full of confidence. He’s scoring for fun, so if we can keep him quiet, hopefully that would be a big step towards getting through.