Here we go then!
The moment Hibs fans around the world have waited for has finally arrived...

It's been only a matter of weeks in coming but at last the time has arrived for Bobby Williamson's young Hibs team to come of age.  In just a few hours time, Hibs and Livingston will walk out in front of more than 40,000 Hibs fans and the cacophony of noise that they will undoubtedly make to challenge for the first major piece of silverware this season.  Hibs, having beaten Celtic and Rangers en route to the final will start as the bookies favourites but Livingston's more experienced side will be looking to silence the Green and White Army and go down in history as the first Livingston side to win one of the top three domestic trophies in Scotland.

The overriding worry for me is the crowd and how the Hibs team handle it.  Sure, they're used to playing in front of a passionate support and one that outnumbers their opponents, take the opening SPL derby for instance, but that is invariably at Easter Road where the stands are closer to the pitch and the fans distinctly closer by.  Hampden is a massive arena by comparison.  Not only is the pitch far wider but the fans, especially behind the goals, are much further away.  That said though, the noise that the Hibs fans will generate will surely be enough to make it feel like they are closer.  One player who doesn't think the crowd will affect his own performance is Derek Riordan.

Dobbie, O'Connor and Whittaker get their hands on the trophy ahead of today's clash  (sns)

“It will be something else to play in front of so many Hibs fans, it’s not a worry – the crowd does not bother me at all. Your concentration is on the game and you just go out there and try your hardest and hope that is enough to get the result."  The atmosphere in the stadium is bound to be electric, as it will undoubtedly be along the open-top bus route through the Capital should Hibs come back victorious as they did in 1991, a day that the 21 year old can only just about remember!   "I was only eight when I went to the final in 1991, so I don’t remember that much of it – but I do know it was brilliant! It will be even better if we win the trophy this time and parade it through Edinburgh – I did not see the parade in 1991 but this time I could be part of it.” 

With the burden of expectation on the young Hibs side, all we can hope for is that the players go out onto the park and give it a minimum of 100% as Riordan himself knows.  “We try our best in every game and hope then it comes off, but this is the biggest game of my life so far so I know I need to try to produce that bit extra for the Hibs fans. I’ve around 28 of my family and friends going to the game in all. But we all know this is not going to be an easy game - Livingston are a strong side at the back with Andrews in particular – but then I still had a chance the last time we played them, hitting the side of the bar so I hope to go one better than that.”  Riordan is the player in form at Easter Road just now and will be the one man that Livingston will watch closely, a fact that may allow someone else to shine as attention is diverted his way.

Hibs have never had, or possibly will for a time to come, a better chance to lift silverware.  Bobby Williamson and his squad have done their part over the previous rounds with one last game to go.  The time for us to do our bit as fans is this afternoon as we provide the team with the support they so richly deserve from before kick-off through to, and beyond, the final whistle.  Let's drown out those Livingston drummers and let's lift our own side and drive them on to the victory that we, and they, so desperately want and so richly deserve.

Glory glory to the Hibees!