No chance of Hibs return for Matt Doherty

By DAVID HARDIE
Published on 29/05/2012 12:00

Matt DOHERTY has slammed the door on any possibility of a return to Easter Road after declaring he’s now “100 per cent” focused on establishing himself as a first team regular at Wolves.

And the 20-year-old defender believes the 17 matches he played for Hibs having moved to Edinburgh on loan for the second half of the season can help him impress new Molineux boss Stale Solbakken.

Doherty, who had played under Pat Fenlon at Dublin club Bohemians before making the switch to the English Midlands, was one of six players brought in on a temporary basis by the Hibs manager in January to help the Capital outfit battle against the threat of relegation.

He played his part, scoring the opening goal as Hibs crushed Dunfermline 4-0 in the penultimate game of the season to ensure SPL survival but, he revealed, he’s now looking to the future under Norwegian boss Solbakken.

Doherty said: “I’m proud to say I played for a club with the history such as Hibs and I’m very grateful to Pat Fenlon and the fans for the support they gave me up there.

“I loved it and it has been a huge part in my development but my focus is now 100 per cent on playing for Wolves. I can’t wait to start back in pre-season, use everything I have learned and show the new manager what I am capable of.”

Doherty’s appearances for Hibs didn’t go unnoticed in his homeland, the youngster having been placed on stand-by for the Republic of Ireland’s crucial Euro Under-21 qualifying clash with Italy next Monday.

Doherty said: “I haven’t been picked yet, but hopefully the fact that I’ve been playing regularly for Hibs and helped them get into the Cup final will help my cause.”