Hibs’ Ivan Sproule to play through pain barrier

IVAN SPROULE today revealed he’s willing to play through the pain barrier to ensure Hibs end their season on a high.

The Irishman had to have constant medical treatment throughout last week to allow him to line up against Motherwell on Sunday after suffering an ankle injury in the previous weekend’s win over Inverness.

He will have further attention from medical staff this week to make sure he is available for Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final with Aberdeen at Hampden and, with Hibs’ place in the SPL and their cup future in the balance, Sproule is determined to battle on.

He said: “When I went down injured in the game against Inverness, the one thing that I couldn’t have accepted was missing out on the end to the season, with the cup game coming up and the chance to keep the side in the Premier League.

“It would have been easy to sit in the stand and watch the team play the rest of the season out without me but that would have hurt me really badly.

“I am really glad that the medical department worked so hard to get me fit for the game against Motherwell, and they will probably have to work twice as hard this week to make sure that I am ready to play in the semi-final.

“It’s just one of those things and I will do everything that I have to, to make sure that I am fit if the manager picks me.

“I can still feel it, the pain was getting a bit worse towards the end and I took a bit of a knock on it again but it’ll be fine. There are other players doing it as well, it’s not just me. At the end of the day, a bit of pain is not going to affect you unless it’s a broken bone or ligament damage. I will just keep popping the pain killers and get on with it.”

Meanwhile, club captain Ian Murray believes Hibs fans would accept relegation from the SPL this season – as long as the Easter Road side broke their 110-year Scottish Cup hoodoo.

Murray said: “Saturday is a chance for us to get to the final and it could turn a poor season into a really good one. I’d say every fan – and probably most of the players – would take relegation if it meant we win the Scottish Cup. From a financial point of view, the directors would pull their hair out. But, as a romantic thing for the fans, they would definitely take the cup. If we can get both, it would be fantastic.”