New Hibs man Scott Robertson happy for SPL return

SCOTT Robertson last night revealed his delight at ending his Blackpool nightmare after he sealed a return to the SPL with Hibernian.

The 27-year-old yesterday penned a two-and-a-half-year deal at Easter Road having been given the green light to cut short his ill-fated stay in the English Championship.

The Scotland cap made just one first-team appearance south of the Border after leaving Dundee United last summer for a two-year contract at Bloomfield Road. And, with the man who signed him, Ian Holloway, having left for Crystal Palace back in November, Robertson is hopeful he can now kick-start his career back on familiar territory north of the border.

The twice-capped former Dundee player said: “It all came about rather quickly. I heard of the interest from Pat Fenlon and I wasn’t getting a chance at Blackpool and was wanting to play football again.

“Pat expressed an interest in bringing me here on a permanent deal and that was okay with Blackpool, so it got rushed through and it’s happened. I’m delighted to be here.

“The big attraction was the potential to play football again, because I was six months at Blackpool and I only got one first-team game, after going from playing a full season with Dundee United the season before.

“It wasn’t great to be doing that, so I’m looking forward to challenging for a first-team place here.”

With Gordon Strachan newly in the door as Scotland manager, Robertson has timed his return north well, knowing if he can recapture the form he showed during his four years with United then he may be able to force his way back into the international set-up.

However, the Dundonian insists his full focus is simply on getting back to regular football again following the frustrations of Blackpool.

He added on Hibernian TV: “I’m not even thinking about (Scotland), to be honest. It’s totally at the back of my mind.

“It’s all about performing for Hibs – firstly, getting my chance and, secondly, taking it and hopefully doing well for the club. This is a great move for me and I’m really excited about what we can achieve at Hibs.

“The club has made a decent start to the season and we are in a strong position in order to be able to kick on and progress even further. There were other options on the table, but as soon as I spoke to Pat Fenlon I was convinced that Hibs were the right club for me.”

Hibs manager Fenlon has enjoyed a successful transfer window so far, with new loan deals agreed to keep Leigh Griffiths and Ryan McGivern for the rest of the season and now Robertson added to a squad already sitting in fourth place.

With midfielder Jorge Claros said to be on the verge of agreeing an extension to his loan from Motagua also, Fenlon is thrilled to have secured Robertson on a permanent contract.

The Irishman said: “Scott will be a valuable addition to our squad – he is a skilful box-to-box midfielder, who is strong in the air and can provide goals.

“He is a player who has been on our radar for a while, so we were pleased to be able to get the deal over the line.

“Again, Scott has signed until the summer of 2015, which brings continuity, and we believe he is the type of player our fans will enjoy watching perform.”

Hibs, who drew 0-0 with Aberdeen at the weekend, take on Ross County in Dingwall in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League tomorrow night and then face the Dons again in the William Hill Scottish Cup on Sunday.