Kevin Waugh: Final win with Hibs will start family celebrations

Hibs defender Kevin Waugh is hoping a Scottish Youth Cup final victory for the club's under-20s over Aberdeen tomorrow night will spark quite the weekend of celebrations for his family.

Kevin Waugh hopes to get his hands on the Scottish Youth Cup

The young Hibees head to Hampden intent on securing the double after the SPFL Development League title was won last week.

Waugh, who turns 20 this weekend, hopes silverware on Thursday night will provide another excuse to celebrate, with the date already a significant one for parents Kevin and Dawn, along with younger brother Ricky.

“It’s my birthday on Sunday so a win would be brilliant,” he explained. “It’s my mum and dad’s wedding anniversary on Thursday as well and my wee brother’s 14th birthday, so it’s going to be a hectic day! He’s not a Hibs fan, but he’ll be there and he’ll want us to win anyway.

“I’ve got a big family and the whole’s clan’s going through. I’m from Dalkieth so pretty close by, and me and Ryan [Porteous] actually come in the car together in the mornings. We’ve got another game on Monday though so if we win, we’re still back in on Friday morning.”

Waugh has missed out on big moments at the national stadium before and is therefore determined to make the most of his own opportunity.

“I go to watch the Scotland games when I can, but everybody aspires to play there,” he admitted.

“I was actually supposed to go to the England game [last June’s World Cup qualifier] but I was away in Magaluf with my pals! My dad got me a ticket. I’ve not been to many important ones at Hampden. I was at the Slovakia game when they won 1-0 and that was brilliant. They were down to ten men for the full game just about and I thought it wasn’t going to be our night.

“You’re in the stands watching the games and the only thing you want to do is play. Not many people get the chance to play at Hampden, so everybody is buzzing for it. I can’t wait.”

Waugh acknowledges that despite the potential for a trophy-laden season, the long-term aim remains the same, with silverware at this level no guarantee of making the step up into the senior ranks.

“It’s nice to win things, but at the end of the day there’s 12/13 people in our changing room that are all just aspiring to be first team players for Hibs,” added Waugh.