Leader comment: Hibs' cup glory

Sunshine on Leith is the Hibs anthem for good reason – there is far more to it than just being a beautiful, poignant love song which pays homage to the port. Heartbreak is in the DNA of Hibs fans. Generations of Hibbies have grown up knowing their club often comes within touching distance of glory but can’t usually seal the deal.

That is not particularly unusual for a club of Hibs’ size, a big club with a proud history, but competing against others with far bigger resources.

Hibs, however, have seemed to make an art form out of it. Not any more.

Saturday changed all of that. It was only one game, but it does change everything. The Hibs Scottish Cup jinx – one of the world’s great sporting hoodoos – has been smashed into smithereens. All those Jambo taunts about 1902 and “the big cup” have been silenced. Just as independence would require most Scots to think about ourselves in a different way, this will require a psychological readjustment for most  Hibbies.

It is a terrible shame that this wonderful time for everyone associated with the club has been adversely affected by the bad behaviour of a small minority. There must be a full investigation into what happened at Hampden Park to see what lessons can be learned, and those responsible for any violence should be identified and dealt with robustly.

The vast majority of Hibs fans who behaved impeccably should not suffer for the idiocy of the few. It is a shame that all did not stay in their seats and sing Sunshine on Leith instead.

It is easy to lose a bit of perspective during great sporting moments like this. It is, after all, only a game of football.

For many families, though, it has meant far more than that. Thousands of celebrating supporters will have spent a lot of time over the last 48 hours thinking of loved ones that are no longer with us. Their thoughts will have been with fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, cousins and friends, who would have been thrilled to see Hibs win the cup, but never got to witness it.

Those true fans deserve to revel in their moment in the sun. As ever, it is The Proclaimers who can perhaps sum it up best. Their message to the players who saw the cup and claimed it . . .

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.