Hibs sign up striker Phil Airey on loan deal

Manager Colin Calderwood returned to his former club to recruit the 19-year-old, who has scored regularly at reserve-team level.

Airey becomes Calderwood's sixth signing of the summer transfer window after former Aston Villa midfielder Isaiah Osbourne joined on Wednesday on a two-year contract, subject to international clearance.

Airey has scored 24 goals in 58 academy and reserve appearances for Newcastle and has long been linked with Hibs.

He told the Hibs website: "I'm really pleased to be joining such a big club like Hibernian and I will be looking to challenge for Phil Airey: Striker has been on Colin Calderwood's radar

a first-team place. I love it at Newcastle, but I'm now getting to an age where I need to get first-team games under my belt and hopefully I will achieve that with Hibernian."

Calderwood was pleased to secure Airey ahead of the weekend. The Hibs manager said: "He is a player that I know from my time with Newcastle United and he has been on our radar for quite some time. So we are pleased to be able to get the deal over the line and to introduce another quality signing to the squad."

Airey joins Sean O'Hanlon, Junior Agogo and Osbourne in moving to Easter Road, the quartet teaming up with returning stars Ivan Sproule and Garry O'Connor in the Hibs squad.

Calderwood added: "We are pleased to be able to add Phil to the squad - he will offer us something different up front.

"Now with both Akpo (Sodje] and Junior returning to full fitness, we will have serious competition for places in attack and Phil will strengthen that area even further."

Sodje is still stepping up his rehabilitation from a knee injury but Calderwood is optimistic that Agogo, a player he had on his books as manager at Nottingham Forest, will be ready to make his first appearance for the club against Kilmarnock on Sunday. The 32-year-old paid his own way for a trial at Hibs in mid-July but, despite agreeing a one-year contract on 26 July, has been forced to wait for his debut because of an injury picked up training.

Calderwood said: "Akpo and Junior have pushed on really well in the last seven or eight days. Junior's obviously ahead of Akpo and he joined in with the group earlier in the week.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed that Junior will be involved at the weekend. That's very much to their forefront of my thoughts."