Hibernian won promotion to the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, which meant more to ex-Rangers defender Darren McGregor than most.
Darren McGregor (L) in action for Rangers
Hibernian defender Darren McGregor has told The Scottish Sun that leaving Rangers for his boyhood club has been a ‘great achievement’.
Hibs have been the team to beat in the Scottish Championship this season, with Neil Lennon’s side leading the league table for the majority of the campaign.
On Saturday, Hibs’ big moment finally came after three years in the second tier, as the 3-0 home win over Queen of the South sent Hibernian back to the top flight as Championship title winners.
The likes of John McGinn, Jason Cummings and even recent signing Efe Ambrose have taken the majority of the plaudits for Hibernian’s promotion, but defender Darren McGregor is one of the unsung heroes.
McGregor, 31, scored five times in 53 games for Rangers before being released in August 2015, with his boyhood club Hibs swooping to sign him on a two-year contract.
With 40 appearances in all competitions this season, defender McGregor – who has played at centre back and right back over the course of his career – has been a vital part of Lennon’s side, and the Leith-born defender is understandably ecstatic to have won promotion with the team he grew up supporting.
Now, McGregor has told The Scottish Sun that he pinches himself every day, and claims that leaving Rangers to join Hibernian was a ‘great achievement’, having not only won promotion this term, but also won the Scottish Cup last term.
Dundee United’s Billy McKay in action with Hibernian’s Darren McGregor
McGregor, who is out of contract this summer, added that playing for Hibs has been the best two years of his career, with the defender clearly enjoying life away from Ibrox, where Mark Warburton barely gave him a chance in the Rangers side.
“People ask me what it means to be a Hibs supporter doing this and it’s really hard to sum up in a couple of lines,” said McGregor. “I pinch myself every day that I’m in this situation. Leaving Rangers to come here was a great achievement. Winning the Scottish Cup was massive. To play for the club that I’ve supported and get promoted… I’m on cloud nine. I’ve such a hunger and a desire to do well for the club and the fans because it’s not just me. My family and my friends are all the same.”
“It goes without saying this has been the best two years of my career. As a boy you grow up playing in the back garden with friends, using jumpers for goalposts with ambitions of playing at whatever level. To play for the club I’ve always supported, after the road I’ve had to take… I’m so thankful every time I’m out on the pitch,” he added.
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