JORDAN CROPLEY was bemused by the congratulations he received as he collected his freshly-laundered kit for the day, unable to fathom why he should be the centre of attention.
But it was only when he returned to the first-team dressing-room at Hibs' impressive training centre that the penny dropped. For one name jumped out at him from those pinned on the notice board by boss Mixu Paatelainen to alert his players as to who
would form his squad for the trip to Sweden to face IF Elfsborg – his own.
Paatelainen hadn't even dropped a hint to the teenager that he'd be among the 19 making the journey to Scandinavia, so helping add to the youngster's surprise and delight. Ultimately, Cropley was the only one who didn't strip for action, a disappointment of sorts, but not unexpected with Hibs, despite trailing by two goals from the first leg at Easter Road six days earlier, still harbouring hopes, however slim, of overcoming that handicap.
If it was a taste of the high life for Cropley, son of Easter Road legend Alex, it was also a glimpse of the possible rewards on offer if he can, as Paatelainen hopes, make himself a regular member of the first team squad over the coming season.
The Hibs boss said: "I wanted to take Jordan to Sweden because he has done really well pre-season, he is a tremendous talent, someone who has every chance.
"I really rate him as a football player. We need footballers who have that skill, awareness and ability to unlock defences and he has that.
"He is young and inexperienced but hopefully he will be in the squad throughout the season. Unfortunately he didn't get as far as the bench on this occasion but he made the trip to Sweden on merit."
Having signed a new one-year deal, Cropley is well aware of the expectations riding on his young shoulders but like Paatelainen he has every hope of grasping the opportunity offered.
He said: "The fact I only have a year's contract doesn't concern me. I was in the same position last summer and I thrived on being given another year.
"I have faith in my own ability, I'm aiming to work hard and confident I can take this chance.
"My aim is to hopefully get a few games under my belt and persuade the gaffer to offer me another new contract this time next year."
Even so, boarding the specially chartered flight for Sweden came as a massive surprise.
He said: "I'd gone to collect my gear for a closed doors match against St Johnstone last Wednesday when Tam and Joyce McCourt, who look after our kit, told me: 'Congratulations'.
"I was wondering what they were talking about but when I went back to the changing room the squad for Sweden had been posted on the notice board. I had a wee look just to see who was going and my name jumped out at me.
"The gaffer hadn't breathed a word to me about it so it was very much a pleasant surprise."
Cropley found himself involved in every aspect of the trip, including a full-scale training session on the plastic pitch at the Boras Arena only to find himself sidelined when Paatelainen announced his side and seven substitutes.
He said: "It was a little disappointing but I expected to be the odd man out. I was just pleased to be there and the news I wasn't to be involved didn't come as a shock.
"The gaffer told me I was there because I deserved to be, that I had been doing well and if I keep doing so I will get my chance."
Cropley, however, believes the experience of what was his first trip abroad with the club will stand him in good stead in the future, just as Paatelainen intended.
He said: "Although I've been training with the first team squad since we returned to training, this was a whole new experience, the travelling, seeing the preparation that goes into such a match and, of course, the game itself.
"It was an eye-opener to see how things are planned all the way through."
If he was flying high at the weekend, Cropley will be brought back to earth with a thump tonight as he heads across the Forth for Hibs' latest pre-season friendly against Raith Rovers at Stark's Park.
But he insisted he'll take that transition in his stride. He said: "There's no way I'd ever look on that as a step down. All I want to do is play and hopefully if I get the chance tonight it will give me the opportunity to impress the boss and keep me in his thoughts."
It's inevitable Cropley will be compared with his father, particularly as he also plays in midfield. But that's a fact of life he's happy to accept while insisting his goal is to make his own name in the game.
He said: "I know it will happen but I'm prepared for that.
"We are similar in some ways – he tells me he was a good passer of the ball and I feel I do that well – but he was quite an aggressive tackler and I am perhaps not so aggressive." One similarity Hibs fans will hope to see between father and son, however, is the sight of a Cropley once again scoring goals in a green-and-white shirt. Jordan said: "I scored eight or nine last season but the boss wants me to score more."
Although he never saw his father play for Hibs, Arsenal or Aston Villa, Cropley, whose cousin Blair Tolmie is also on the books, has his own long association with Easter Road having been a ball boy at the ground when younger.
He said: "I must have been 12 or 13. I was actually right behind the goal when Paco Luna missed that header in the last minute against AEK Athens when we won 3-2 on the night but went out on aggregate.
"Even so, there was a special atmosphere about Easter Road that night and hopefully one day I'll be able to enjoy it myself as a player."
The full article contains 1046 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
