Hibs: Palsson happy to give up hols for big stage

HIBS kids Paul Hanlon and David Wotherspoon have promised to bombard team-mate Victor Palsson with their holiday snaps as he continues to sweat it out on the training ground, preparing for Iceland's assault on this summer's European Under-21 Championships.

But today the 20-year-old insisted he was totally cool about the prospect, fully aware Hanlon and Wotherspoon are doing their best to disguise their disappointment at having missed out on the finals in Denmark.

Palsson was part of the Icelandic side which defeated Scotland in a play-off last October to become national heroes, the first time their country had won a place in the finals of a major tournament.

Although they were 2-1 down from the first leg played in Reykjavik a few days earlier, Billy Stark's youngsters had high hopes of overturning that deficit in the second match at Easter Road.

But two stunning strikes from 7?million Hoffenheim hitman Gylfi Sigurdsson shattered that dream although Aberdeen forward Chris Maguire scored an equally spectacular goal.

While Iceland triumphed 4-2 on aggregate, Palsson conceded there was little between the two countries, saying: "We scored two unbelievable goals here in Edinburgh having scored two unbelievable goals at home but there wasn't a huge amount in it."

Little did Palsson, then with Liverpool, think that only a few months later he'd be pulling on the green and white of Hibs, counting Hanlon and Wotherspoon as team-mates rather than opponents.

Now, though, with the finals fast approaching - Palsson will team up with his national squad on Friday - the combative midfielder senses Hanlon and Wotherspoon are realising just what they'll be missing.

He said: "They've been telling me they will send pictures of them on the beach while I'm preparing for the games. I've told them 'no worries, I'm in the Euros and you are not'. However, I think they are hurting inside, it's just that they don't want to show it. I'm sure they are thinking it could have been them and Scotland."

Having made history, though, Palsson insisted he is determined that Iceland go as far as possible in the tournament. He said: "There's little doubt we are in the weaker group.

"We have Belarus, Switzerland and Denmark while England, Spain, Ukraine and the Czech Republic are in the other one. I think we have the team capable of winning our group.

"In qualifying we beat Germany, former Under-21 World Cup winners, 4-1 at home. The fact we are there doesn't mean that's the end of it, I want to go all the way."

Although he's many miles from home, Palsson knows there is growing excitement in Iceland but is also aware that the seven other countries will harbour the same hopes and dreams.

And, he insisted, Iceland won't be a surprise package with the whole of Europe having sat up and taken notice of stars such as Sigurdsson.

He said: "Every game is going to be shown live in Iceland but I also think we are going to get a big support in Denmark.

"There are already offers, flights and packages for fans. I'm the youngest member of the squad - I was 20 just last week - so it is a great honour for me. There's great excitement and it's going to be a terrific experience for all of us.

"We might not be one of the fancied nations but I think the other countries will know a good bit about us. For example, Gylfi is staring to get recognition all round the world, teams will try to shut him down quite quickly because they'll know that if he gets the ball in front of goal nine times out of ten it will end up in the net.

"A lot of really good players are going to be playing there, it's a big window for all of us. Scouts from everywhere are going to be in Denmark and we have a lot of players in our squad who are still playing in Iceland trying to go elsewhere.

"You never know what is going to happen but the more players we have playing abroad the greater the knock-on effect will be for our full national side which, hopefully, will prosper more and more."

And Palsson insisted he'll head for the finals a better player than the one that turned up at Easter Road seven months ago.

He said: "I never thought that night I'd be calling Easter Road home a few weeks later, it was quite a coincidence.

"I've now had a half-season playing first team football and while there have been ups and downs of course I've got that bit of experience.

"Playing week in week out definitely means I am a better player today than I was a few months ago."