Vetra Vilnius. Two words forever etched in my memory as a sickly reminder that European football has a funny way of turning the unknown into the unforgettable. And believe me - I've spent 22 years trying to erase it from my brain.
The Lithuanians were only in existence for 13 years before going bust in 2010 but still managed to deliver one of the worst results of my career. It's a lesson for Hibs in Kosovo tonight - not that I expect they'll suffer the same humiliation we did when they take on minnows Malisheva.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Reading up on the side David Gray's men will face brought all those horrid memories flooding back - not least due to their home holding just 1800 fans. We didn't know what lay ahead of us. But I remember running out at the Vetra Stadium and thinking I'd seen better junior grounds back home.
It was stifling hot, the pitch was as hard and dry as a stale loaf and we were badly undercooked as we lost 1-0 having already been held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Easter Road. It might only have been the Intertoto Cup but our fans were going utter tonto. And rightly so.
They were Tony Mowbray's first games in charge and he couldn't have asked for a worse start. We got slaughtered. We'd only been training for about two weeks before facing Vetra. But we had Scott Brown, Steven Whittaker, Gary Caldwell and Garry O'Connor all playing. The quality squad we had, it was a really embarrassing result and still makes me shudder.
That side would go on to finish third in the league and should have blown the Lithuanians away. These results can happen when you're not prepared though. Remember three years ago Hibs lost to the Andorran part-timers in front of a caravan park under Lee Johnson?
No Problems Foreseen for Hibs
But as I said, I don't see any problems for Hibs even if it's a bit toasty in Kosovo. David Gray looks to have them in good shape and Saturday's 2-1 friendly win over Brondby was another positive.
It was great to see the big striker Nathan Lowe getting off the mark. He looks the part. It's always important, even in pre-season, that you make good first impressions because you know what supporters are like, fickle, and first impressions can be lasting. It doesn't matter if it's a friendly, you just start scoring goals straight away and you get the fans on side.
Punters will go away from that game thinking, we might have a number nine here, we might have a real good striker. He took his two goals well and looks like he's got decent pace as well. He's a big lad, six foot four. I said in my last column that's what they were needing after losing Kieron Bowie in January.
Lowe's Potential
Lowe's come through at Stoke and we all know they like a big striker down there. Maybe he's the new Peter Crouch! But to have scored 31 senior goals at 20-years-old is impressive. Okay most of those were while he was out on loan in League One and Two but that doesn't make it any easier. He's been capped at England youth level so Lowe is clearly a talent.
He's still finding his way in the game, he's young. But certainly, I like to look at him at the weekend. You'd think there will be a chance for him to get a couple of goals over in Kosovo, first proper taste of European football as well.
I know it was only a friendly but Brondby are a good side with a decent European pedigree. It was a good result, a good performance, the new boys all did well and it's another 90 minutes under the belt. I think that side will be pretty close to the team that starts on Thursday.
Then it's down to the players to deliver a professional performance. Don't take this team lightly. Go after them from the first minute, dictate the tempo and stay switched on. I'd imagine there'll be a good travelling support. They have to put on a show for them and make sure a week that's started horrendously for Scottish clubs in Europe doesn't suffer another humiliation.
