New deal caps a turnaround in fortunes for Lewis Stevenson

LEWIS Stevenson has been arguably Hibernian’s most consistent player in what has been an up-and-down season, and yesterday the midfielder had that consistency rewarded with a one-year extension to his current contract.

The unassuming 24-year-old, who is the club’s longest-serving player, was offered the extension automatically as a result of playing a certain number of games – but he was unaware that he had crossed the threshold until informed by a club official.

“It didn’t take me long to decide to sign an extension,” Stevenson said yesterday. “I have been here through my whole career and I’ve enjoyed it.

“It was just an extension from the contract I signed last year. To be honest, I didn’t realise I had played the amount of games I needed to trigger the clause, but I was told last night so I’m pretty chuffed.”

Although he has been a regular member of the side which Pat Fenlon is trying to steer to safety from relegation, Stevenson has not been as highly esteemed by some of the managers he has had in his time at Easter Road. There have been times, indeed, when he has felt his stay at the club was about to end, and he is not taking anything for granted now that he is in favour again.

“It has changed so often and I know how quickly things can change again,” he said. “I just need to stay on my toes. There were times in the past when I was not playing for long periods and I thought I needed to move. It’s strange how things happen in football but I’m happy here just now.

“The manager has given me a chance and I think I’ve taken it. I know myself that I’ve been in the team and gone out again. I have to try and perform every week. There are guys to come in if I don’t.”

Last Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Aberdeen was a rare occasion for Hibs this season, as Stevenson was absent through suspension. “I was gutted not to play in the semi-final, but I was delighted with the win,” he said. “It was harder to watch – when you play things take care of themselves. There are so many things going through your mind when you’re watching, I can sympathise with the fans that have watched us this year.

“It was a great occasion, but it will mean nothing if we don’t stay up. It was gutting not to play, but it’s five league games to try and get back myself in the team.”

Stevenson should be back in the Hibs squad for tomorrow’s home game against Kilmarnock – a fixture which Fenlon has insisted is more important than next month’s cup final against Hearts. Hibs supporters may well think differently, and feel that with a seven-point lead over bottom club Dunfermline their team are all but safe, but the manager is intent on doing everything possible to ensure the squad concnetrate on their league duties.

“I don’t get a lot of the hurrah about it, to be honest with you,” Fenlon said when asked about the derby, which will be the first in the final in 116 years. We won four matches to get to a final, but Sunday is a bigger game for me.

“Sunday and the week after are bigger games, because we can secure what we need, to make sure the club takes its place in the SPL next year. That’s the be all and end all. Anything after that is a major plus, but we will go about doing what we’ve been brought here to do, which is to stay in the league.

“We’ve got a big job to do that. We’ve made a bit of progress, but we need to continue that. Sunday will be a difficult game because they’re a decent side and they’ve won a trophy already.

“It’s been easy enough to get the players concentrated, because we’ve got massive games coming up. Maybe if we were sitting in the middle of the table it might be harder. But the fact that we’re still in trouble means it has been easy enough to focus on the job.”

That lead over Jim Jefferies’ team has led some Hibs fans to conclude that their team will now find it easy enough to secure their top-flight survival, but Fenlon warned that there could easily be a twist in the tale if his players failed to approach their remaining league matches properly. “One result changes everything. If we can get a positive result this week, we’re nearly there. We just need to make sure we stay focused, because football has a terrible habit of kicking you in the you-know-whats if you think you’ve made it.

“I think in the last month our form has improved. The team has been more settled, which has helped. It’s important there’s a progress – and maybe slower is better than quicker if it’s more beneficial. We would like to be 15 points ahead, but it’s a work in progress and we need to keep taking small steps forward.”