Kevin Thomson wants first Hibs win against Celtic

KEVIN Thomson has yet to be on the winning side since returning to Hibernian last month, but the midfielder has already achieved something positive, by rediscovering his love of football.

The 28-year-old, who is in Pat Fenlon’s squad for today’s game against Celtic, agreed to play for his old club unpaid for the rest of the season after being released by Middlesbrough. He has yet to give serious thought to where he might be playing next season, and for the time being is simply glad to be playing at all after being dogged by injury during his two and a half years on Teesside.

“I love playing football,” the 28-year-old said. “I’m here for nothing. I could sit in the house and do nothing if I wanted to: I decided to train and play. I’m doing it for myself, and hopefully that will help Hibs in the long run.

“I’m one of those boys that love football. I love training, I love playing, and I’m proud of how many games I’ve played considering the injuries I’ve had.

“I just want to keep on playing for as long as I can. My dad’s always saying to me that hopefully the injuries and bad luck I’ve had at the start of my career will put on a few years at the end of my career.”

Thomson’s first spell at Easter Road ended in acrimonious fashion, as he and Scott Brown sought and eventually achieved moves to Glasgow – in Brown’s case to Celtic, in his own to Rangers. But almost the entire staff at Easter Road has changed since then, and Thomson has been encouraged by the positive attitude shown to him by the Hibs support.

“It’s been great. The reception from the fans has been fantastic,” he added. “To be back somewhere and be appreciated again is a great feeling. When you’ve got kids and family, it’s hard when you’re getting booed and jeered. At the end of the day we’re all human. Everybody likes to see themselves in the paper for good stuff rather than bad stuff.

“It was a hard place to play my football down there [at Middlesbrough], for whatever reason I don’t know, because if I could have changed that I would have. It was one of those situations that hopefully I’ll look back on in years to come and think it was a wee blip in my career. I think every player has them. And hopefully I’ll go on and show everybody how good a player I am.”

Having said all that, Thomson is naturally desperate to get that first win of his second incarnation as a Hibs player. His debut this time round was in the goalless Edinburgh derby, since when his club have lost twice, slipping down to ninth place as a result.

“When I came back I just wanted to play football. I wanted to be in the mix. I wanted to enjoy that feeling of sitting in the bath at five o’clock, legs sore, body sore, either disappointed or happy,” he said.

“I’ve always said for a player there’s no better feeling than sitting in that bath at five o’clock having three points and thinking that you’ve done a decent performance, and everybody goes away happy. So far I’ve not experienced that since I’ve been back here. So I’m desperate to get a win and desperate to help the boys get the three points.”

Thomson is well aware that this afternoon, the odds are on him remaining just as desperate at full-time. With the league title possibly there to be won today, Celtic are unlikely to display the same laxness they have shown in recent outings. “It’s obviously a massive game,” the Hibs player accepted. “It’s a big game for them, as it is for us.

“We’re under no illusions. It’s difficult for some of the best teams in the world to go to Parkhead on a European night, so I’m not naïve.

“I know the task that stands in front of us. But as a player I’ve always believed I could go anywhere and win, so I’ll be trying to instil that into the boys, and we’ll go there and try our best.”

If Thomson can rediscover his best form in the next month or so, he should not be short of offers in the summer. But so far, he explained, he has neither sought to have talks with Hibs nor actively looked elsewhere.

“No,” he said when asked if he had opened talks with Fenlon about next season. “I wake up in the morning, I go to training and enjoy myself. I try my best every day. I hope that my professionalism and my character comes out amongst the boys and amongst the place. I just want to play some games and see what happens in the summer.”