Book on Hibs' Scottish Cup win already on the shelves

“Time for Heroes” has been penned by Edinburgh author Ted Brack, who began writing it only two days after the triumph, delivering it to his publishers just two weeks later.

However, Brack, a former headteacher who has written a number of popular books on the Easter Road club, admits he doubted he’d ever see the Capital club end its 114-year hoodoo, having left Hampden the previous season approaching his 68th birthday after watching Alan Stubbs’ side lose the semi-final to Falkirk convinced he wouldn’t live long enough to see that day,

But, he reveals, that over last summer he began to sense that season 2015/16 was going to be a special one, prompting him to keep a journal in which he faithfully recorded the ups and downs and was finally vindicated as he watched Gray head home that winner against Rangers in added-on time.

Gray, the first Hibs captain to lift the Scottish Cup since Bobby Atherton in 1902, has contributed a foreword to the book, writing of how he was determined to use the setbacks of failing to win promotion and losing the League Cup final to Ross County earlier in the season as motivation for another shot at glory. The right back said: “When my header bulleted into the net, all sorts of thoughts were going through my mind. I just remember being amongst the crowd celebrating and the referee telling me that he was sorry but he would have to apply the rules and book me. Believe you me, I wasn’t complaining.”

Revealing his determination to mark such a day, Brack said: “In my first book – ‘There is a Bonny Fitba Team’ – I promised that if Hibs did eventualy win the Scottish Cup, I’d begin writing the story of how they did it the very next day.

“The Sunday  after the final was, of course, the day of the victory parade and there was absolutely no possibility of any writing being done so 48 hours after 114 years of hurt, I was seated at my laptop.

“I had just harboured a feeling that 2016 might be Hibs’ year when they pulled back a two-goal deficit in the lat ten minutes at Tynecastle and strengthened further after the ‘Conrad Logan’ show against Dundee United.”

Brack’s book doesn’t take account of the aftermath of the final, admitting that, while they are important matters, his book is simply a record of a season which fluctuated between highs and lows but ended in such a memorable fashion.

Brack will be signing copies of his book at Easter Road next Saturday at 2.30pm.

“Time for Heroes” by Ted Brack. Published by Black and White Publishing. Price £9.99.