Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Veteran Socceroo Martin Boyle has a chance to go out on a trophy-winning high at Hibernian after helping shoot them into the final of the Scottish League Cup in his testimonial year.
The 33-year-old Australian international scored Hibs’ equaliser in their 2-1 semi-final victory over their fierce local Edinburgh rivals Hearts on Sunday (Monday AEDT), setting up a final date with Rangers at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.
“It’s a special feeling,” said Boyle, who’s expected to leave the club where he’s played over 400 matches at the end of the season. “I’ve got goosebumps. It’s a great day out.”
“Moments like this don’t come around often and you’ve got to create them. We did that today and the fans have stuck by us,” he added after the players had lined up to hear the fans sing the club’s wonderful ‘Sunshine on Leith’ anthem.
It’s been a troubled season for Hibs, who have changed managers amid their struggles but still sit at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
But Sunday’s triumph, also at the national stadium at Hampden where Boyle has always seemed to thrive, meant relief for their new Dutch boss Marink Reedijk, who could celebrate his first win – and over their biggest rivals too.
Hearts striker Claudio Braga headed in early from a corner, but Boyle equalised in the 19th minute, just beating the offside trap and latching on to a lobbed pass with an expert poacher’s finish that went in off a post.
Suitably buoyed, Hibs’ midfielder Jamie McGrath then scored the winner three minutes before the break.
It set up a final on December 13 versus Rangers, the club Boyle enjoyed perhaps his finest hour-and-a-half against back in 2021 when his hat-trick, also at Hampden, knocked the Ibrox side out in the League Cup semis.
It’s now an inviting prospect for Boyle, who had initially looked set to leave Hibs in May but signed a last-minute one-year contract extension that will keep him at the club where he’s long been a hero until next summer.
“I know the league performances haven’t been great, but thank you to everyone who came to support us today. They can go home with a smile on their face and enjoy their night out,” Boyle said.
As for his own ambitions, he shrugged: “I’m not getting carried away, fingers crossed.
“I’ve still got some legs in me at the tender age of 33. As long as I’m playing and contributing to this club, I can enjoy moments like this and we can all enjoy the day out in the final.”
