Hibs signing stunned by £500k price tag

But the Conference side ended up without even a penny as Hibs exploited a loophole in the FA's rules to land the striker on a three-year deal for absolutely nothing. And the 23-year-old revealed how he turned his back on the opportunity to join a procession of Coca-Cola Championship clubs to take his chance with Hibs in the SPL.

York, who were keen to retain their prolific striker as they eyed a return to the English League, upped their asking price as a clutch of clubs began to make their interest in Donaldson known.

The Bradford-born ace, however, had his mind made up after speaking to his former youth coach at Hull City, Billy Russell, and ex-England Under-21 manager Peter Taylor, who had been his boss at the KC Stadium.

He said: "The price tag York put on me was a bit steep for a Conference player, there's players in the Championship who don't go for such money.

"It showed how much York thought of me. There were clubs ringing up all the time, a few big clubs in the top half of the Championship and I know there were three or four wanting to sign me.

"But I spoke to people I had worked with in the game and they told me Hibs was definitely the right move for me. If I'd gone to the Championship I might have found myself in the reserves but I was told that at Hibs you will get your chance regardless of age if you are good enough.

"I have a belief in myself and my ability and the fact so many Championship sides were interested in signing me has only strengthened that belief as does the fact someone like John Collins with his pedigree and standing in the game wants me to play for his team."

After scoring 44 goals in two seasons at York, Donaldson now has his eyes set on making a similar impact at Easter Road. He said: "My first target is to hold down a starting place in the team. The way to do that is by scoring goals. I'd be hoping to hit double figures obviously as a striker - at least 15 goals would be a good start for me.

"I actually have a pretty good record of scoring on my competitive debuts so I'll definitely be looking to keep that particular record going when I first pull on that green and white shirt."

Meanwhile, ex-Hibs striker Chris Killen has left Welsh club Cardiff City fuming after agreeing terms only to complete a U-turn by accepting an offer from SPL champions Celtic.

Killen had travelled south earlier this week and revealed he was looking forward to joining the Championship outfit, a deal he said he expected to be completed by the end of this week.

But in a shock move the New Zealand star, who hasn't kicked a ball since snapping his Achilles tendon in January, is said to be poised to sign a three-year deal with Gordon Strachan's side, joining former Hibs team-mates Gary Caldwell, Derek Riordan and Scott Brown in Glasgow.

He was immediately slammed by Cardiff chief executive Peter Ridsdale who said: "We are in the market for payers who want to play for this club so it was better to find out now than further down the line. This move clearly demonstrates that Killen did not feel for the club and I look on this as a lucky escape for us."

Meanwhile, Hibs today reminded season ticket holders they have until Saturday to book their seats for next season before public sale commences.