O'Connor's arrival at Hibs is perfect reunion for both parties

Hibs thrilled to land striker of O'Connor's quality as he bids to revive a career which has hit the buffers

Watching Garry O'Connor pound up and down the slopes of Arthur's Seat under the watchful eye of personal trainer Dougie Fowler has become something of a summer ritual akin almost to the Edinburgh International Festival itself.

The sight of the former Easter Road striker sweating buckets during his daily outings led, inevitably, to the question, would these punishing sessions herald a sensational return to Hibs?

"One day, but not just yet," was the reply when the Evening News caught up with O'Connor this time last year while only seven days ago the hitman's agent was quietly dispelling any thought of a Capital comeback, insisting yet again the player's sole intention was to get himself in prime shape for the new season. Exactly where the 28-year-old would be plying his trade was unclear, O'Connor, who quit Hibs for Russia before teaming up with former Easter Road boss Alex McLeish for what ultimately proved to be an ill-fated spell with Birmingham City, a free agent after being released by Championship outfit Barnsley.

Although Fowler was fitness coach at Easter Road during O'Connor's time as a youngster at Hibs, he's worked not for the club but in a personal capacity with the player since, while the stellar wage bracket into which the powerfully-built forward stepped when he signed for Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006 appeared to rule out the top end of Leith as a possible destination.

There is, however, a misconception that, like previous managers, Colin Calderwood operates under a strict wages ceiling, that Hibs players are paid a pittance in comparison to others in the SPL.

Chairman Rod Petrie and his board certainly run a tight ship, ensuring full value for every penny spent, particularly at a time when every club faces a little belt tightening in today's financially challenging environment. However, over the years, while maximum fees have been extracted for the sale of players such as Scott Brown, Steven Whittaker, Kevin Thomson, Steven Fletcher and O'Connor himself, Petrie would argue, with some justification, that successive managers have been supported as much as possible, able to point to the signings (and re-signings) of the likes of Derek Riordan, Ian Murray, Anthony Stokes, Liam Miller and Ivan Sproule, plus a host of others over the years.

Even so, one would imagine, there would have been something of a disparity between the wage packet to which O'Connor had become accustomed and that on offer at Easter Road although the wholesale departures of this summer, including that of top earners Riordan and Miller, will have given Calderwood some leeway in his quest to replace quantity with quality, the manager having declared himself intent on working with a smaller squad over the coming season.

Whatever gulf there was, however, has been overcome in the shape of a one-year deal, an agreement which probably suits both parties, offering, as Mike Riley, chairman of the Hibs Supporters' Association, highlighted, O'Connor, who stands at a crossroads in his career, the chance to put himself in the shop window again while he and his fellow fans have their fingers crossed that a player who scored 59 goals in a green and white shirt first time round can find the back of the net on a regular basis once again.

Pointing out that Hibs scored just 39 goals in 41 competitive matches last season, Riley said today: "Garry has done it wherever he has been, strikers never lose it and hopefully he will do it for us again.

"He's always had a great love for the club but I think he still has a lot to prove to a lot of people and fingers crossed Hibs reap the benefit of that. If he gets among the goals again it will obviously help Hibs but also, given it's only a one-year deal, give him the opportunity to resurrect his career."

O'Connor, of course, hasn't had his troubles to seek both on and off the pitch, a succession of injuries blighting his time in England with this being the first time in four years he's been fit for the start of pre-season training while his detention by police following an alleged drugs bust just weeks after his 100,000 Ferrari was found crashed and dumped have seen him feature on the front pages of newspapers rather than the back.

It appears, though, that in pulling off what is undoubtedly a coup in persuading O'Connor to return, Calderwood has already laid down a marker in terms of what he expects of his second summer signing.

O'Connor revealed: "The manager said he wants me to come in and be a leader, to be an example to the young players coming through. That's one and off the pitch, he has made that clear."

With those ground rules set, O'Connor admitted he'd found his return to Hibs "absolutely amazing," declaring himself in "pretty good nick" as he prepares to join his team-mates for the start of pre-season training on Monday.

He said: "I've always known I would come back, I supported Hibs as a boy, Hibs have always been in my heart and I haven't played with the passion I did for Hibs since I left.

"I knew in my heart of hearts that I wanted to come back to Hibs but I did not know if it would be at this moment in time or later in my career. I'd been at Hibs since I was 14 and left when I was 20 or 21 but people say every football player has a home club and Hibs are mine, I'm just so glad it's happened."

And O'Connor, naturally, revealed he has his heart set on getting back among the goals. Rating his last-gasp winner against Hearts in an Easter Road derby in 2002 as his most memorable, he said: "We were down to ten men with Grant Brebner having been sent off so to score so late on to win and the fans jumping about makes that a precious moment in my career.

"I'm coming back with tremendous experience, I've played in Russia, in the Premier League and Championship, and for Scotland. I don't have any worries stepping out onto the pitch or playing against anyone.

"Technically I feel I am better, my whole awareness of the game is better and I think I am better in the air. Give me half a chance and the ball is going in the back of the net.

"I still feel I can play in the Premier League in England but at this moment I wanted to come back to Hibs for a reason, and that is because I love this club."