Garry O'Connor vows to make most of 'rehabilitation season' at Hibs

Firstly, he has guaranteed them he will score on the first day of the season against Celtic. It is likely he was being more serious when he also promised to show supporters a more rounded player than the one they may remember from his first spell at Easter Road.

This, he says, is the consequence of having played in the Premier League in England and also in Russia, his first port of call after leaving Hibs in 2006. The move to Moscow made him a rich young man. However, it also turned him into an unhappy individual away from the pitch, as he sought to handle the loneliness which came from being separated from his family in an alien land.

"I don't think people realise how tough it can be," O'Connor reflected yesterday. "I am going away and getting lots of money for a job I love doing. But it's hard when you are away from your family and you are stuck in a country where you don't know anyone. That was tough on its own - being stuck on your own in a strange country as a young, immature man."

On the park with Lokomotiv Moscow, for whom he scored a winning goal in the Russian Cup final against FC Moscow, he maintains he had an enjoyable time. O'Connor noted the "learning curve" which began with his time in Russia and continued in England with Birmingham City. At St Andrew's he tasted promotion into the top tier from the Championship and then experienced playing in the Premier League itself, although he battled further anguish. These were of the physical sort rather the mental struggles of his time in Russia.

He describes the up-coming campaign with Hibs - he has signed a one year contract - as his "rehabilitation season". His own agent has described it as a make-or-break season. "He knows there is no messing about now," stressed Martin Reilly earlier this month. O'Connor is confident he can live up to the expectation that is bound to have been built-up by the time the season begins in earnest, and expects to be able to offer Hibs fans something more than he did in his late teenage years and early twenties.

"The Hibs fans will see a different player to back then," said O'Connor. "I was a bit raw. I think I have a wiser head on the pitch now. I am more experienced. I have a lot more in my game now and I am better in the air now. I am bit more clinical with the ball, and with my finishing. I am less selfish and I like to bring players into the game. Hopefully they can see the best of me this season and I can stay clear of injuries and have a right go at it."

He accepts much will be expected of him. But then he expects much from himself. One of the reasons for returning to an arena where he says he feels comfortable is to aim to resuscitate his Scotland ambitions. He hasn't played for his country since coming on as a substitute against the Netherlands in 2009. He has endured a sometimes-troubled time with Scotland. However, he is eager to return to the fold. "If I've gone out and scored eight goals in ten games and they want to cap me again, then I will be there," he said. But first he has to show such prodigious form for Hibs. He is certainly confident. "I will score in my first game!" he vowed, with a smile. This first competitive outing happens to be against Celtic, the club he trained with for a short spell after his return from England earlier this summer.

"There will be expectation," O'Connor continued. "I have to deal with that. I have to show them how good a player I am and how much I have changed. That's not a problem for me. On my day I know I can play against anyone."

"It's great to come back to the club where it first started for me," he added. "Hopefully I can start where I left off and score goals, and play the way I played to get a move." He reiterated a previous assertion where he said he would like to finish his career at the club. Being only 28, this would require him to do enough to earn a few more one-year contracts. he was asked whether Derek Riordan, his one-time striking partner might now be persuaded to return to Easter Road. The striker remains without a club after his own second spell at Hibs came to an end at the conclusion of last season.

"I have just spoken to Deeks on text message," O'Connor said. "I don't have a clue what he is doing. I am not sure Deeks knows what he is doing yet. But I don't think he will be back in a Hibs jersey this year, I'd say."

When considering O'Connor's own return to Easter Road it is impossible to avoid some nagging concerns. Although he claims to be more "more level-headed" these days this is not always supported by the evidence presented. As recently as last week he was charged with drugs offences, after allegedly being caught in possession of cocaine in Edinburgh in May. "That's getting dealt with," is all he would say on the matter. In person, O'Connor does make you want to believe he is a reformed character, if prone to some daft episodes. Clearly Hibs are prepared to take a chance on someone released at the end of last season by Barnsley, with whom he had signed a six-month contract in January. O'Connor insisted that the slate has now been wiped clean. "I am just so happy to be here," he said. "I am with my family. The next chapter in my life is about to start."