Darryl Duffy wants permanent deal at Hibs

• Darryl Duffy has endured frustration in England, but is eyeing a career revival at Hibs Picture: Jayne Emsley

Now, a fourth loan has brought him back to Scotland, and the time may be right for him to end his nomadic existence. Having joined Hibernian and linked up with John Hughes and Brian Rice, the 26-year-old is keen to settle down, and to persuade his new employers to sign him up for good when his season-long loan runs out.

And he certainly would not agree with anyone who argued that his move back up to Scotland represented a step down in footballing terms. Having had four full seasons south of the Border, the striker reckons the game here is undervalued.

"Having played down there and experienced it, I don't think it (the SPL] is any worse than the English Championship," Duffy said yesterday. "Obviously the Premiership is a different level altogether, but I don't think clubs like Hibs would be out of place in the Championship. I'm glad I went, but maybe looking back I was a bit too eager to get down (to England]. Maybe I went six months too early, but hindsight's a great thing. But no, I'm glad I did it. It was a good experience. but at the same time it's good to be back."

On joining Hibs earlier this week, Duffy was especially relieved to get away from Bristol Rovers, as relations between him and manager Paul Trollope had deteriorated to the point that a change appeared best for both parties. Having worked with Hughes and Rice at Falkirk, he foresees no such problems at Easter Road.

"It was difficult," he recalled of his time with Rovers, whom he joined two years ago after a season with Swansea City. "Frustrating as well.

"I've got a good relationship with Yogi (Hughes] and that makes a big difference as well. It makes you feel more comfortable and hopefully will give you more confidence to go and do your stuff.

"I know Yogi well from our 18 months together, so it will be good to work with him, and obviously Chipper (Rice] is still with him as well - it will be good to work with both of them again. I know all about Hibs, and about how Yogi and Chipper work, so I wasn't going into the unknown. I knew exactly what to expect, so that was a big pull for me to come back and work with them."

Having won a Scotland B cap with Falkirk, Duffy looks back on his time there as the best of his career so far. Still, for all the frustrations of his time in England, he thinks that he has matured since he last played in the SPL. "Hopefully I'm a better player, but time will tell, I suppose.

"I'd say (Falkirk] was the best spell of my career so far, but I hope I can kick on from there and have a new best spell. This club is primed to win trophies and have a succcessful season, so hopefully we can do that."

Hughes recruited half a dozen players in all during the transfer window, significantly increasing his selection options and leaving it unclear what he now regards as his first-choice team. With Anthony Stokes having left for Celtic, however, the manager's intentions appear clear in one respect at least: Duffy will get the chance to claim one of the strikers' places after being shunted around too frequently for his own liking over the past couple of years.

"I'm a striker," he said, opting not to go down the time- honoured route of declaring he was perfectly willing to play anywhere as long as he was in the team. "I thrive playing through the middle, getting chances, scoring goals. "I've been used wide right, wide left and in midfield in England as well. Hopefully I can get a run of games through the middle. I'm not Anthony Stokes, I'm Darryl Duffy, and hopefully I can score enough goals so the fans can forget about Anthony Stokes."

If he does that, he hopes that will be enough to persuade Hughes to offer him a permanent deal. "Obviously a lot depends on myself," he added. "If I have a good season I'll maybe have that option at the end of it.

"If I don't have a good season that option might not be there. It's totally in my hands."