On This Day: 2007 League Cup Final
On this day in 2007, the Hibees lifted the Scottish League Cup in memorable fashion with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock!
A dazzling display of power, speed and clinical finishing secured John Collins’ Hibs the trophy in the Glasgow snow.
Hibs booked their place in the final after routine wins over Peterhead (4-0) and Gretna (6-0) in the opening rounds at Easter Road.
Rob Jones smashed home the only goal of the game in the Edinburgh Derby at the quarter-final stage, before the Hibees overcame St Johnstone in the semis at Tynecastle.
As Hibees fans travelled to Hampden in their thousands for a first Scottish League Cup Final since the 2004 loss to Livingston (2-0), there were more than a few raised eyebrows when the starting XI was announced.
Inexperienced young goalkeeper Andrew McNeil was chosen ahead of Simon Brown; but the biggest shock was the inclusion of teenage midfielder Lewis Stevenson ahead of former Manchester United midfielder Michael Stewart.
However, Hibs supporters remained in a confident mood. And in front of a partisan Hibee crowd, McNeil quickly justified Collins’ faith in him by turning Steven Naismith’s close-range head flick over the crossbar. And from then on it was all Hibs.
After 28 minutes, just as the snow began to fall, Hibs won a corner on the left and David Murphy’s perfectly struck cross found fellow Englishman Rob Jones who freed himself from marker Colin Nish and powered a wonderful header past Alan Combe.
Abdessalam Benjelloun (Benji) extended Hibs lead after 59 minutes with his first goal of the day - a wonderful piece of skill teasing Gordon Greer before curling the ball into the far corner from 18 yards.
Moments later, Fletcher combined with Brown and Benji to finish a move he started, driving in the third goal low into the far corner from 20 yards out.
With 13-minutes left, Greer headed home from close range after a cross from substitute Gary Locke, but any hopes Killie fans had of a comeback were swiftly dashed.
Benji cut inside Frazer Wright before supplying a tremendous low finish which prompted a mass exodus of visiting supporters. Those who stayed had to endure a dire moment when Combe, in attempting to clear a routine backpass, sliced the ball straight to the feet of Fletcher, who gladly added a fifth.
19-year-old Lewis Stevenson won the Man of the Match award with a stellar performance on the day – and remains the only player in the Club’s history to win both the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup with Hibs.