Rising star award spurs on Hibs' Crawford

HIBS youngster David Crawford expressed his delight today after being handed the Clydesdale Bank Under-19s Rising Star award.

The Easter Road forward was picked out from all of the other youngsters in the Under-19 league in Scotland for his performances in the first period of games.

Crawford revealed that receiving the award had come as a huge surprise and the young star said: "I was really pleased but shocked at the same time when I was told that I had won this award.

"Obviously, I am really happy to get it, and so are the rest of my family. It means a lot to me because it's voted for by all of the coaches, so it shows that people have noticed you and thought that you have been playing well.

"We had a meeting in the changing room the other day and Bill Hendry, the head of the Academy at Hibs, said that we had some news. When he told us what it was, I couldn't believe it. I took a bit of stick from the other boys about it at the time, but I'm not bothered, this is the first award that I have won at Under-19 level so I'm really pleased with it."

The age group games have been disrupted as much as their SPL counterparts over the last couple of months and as a result, the Hibs side haven't had a competitive match since the end of November.

With the change in weather upon us, Crawford, who can play either as a striker or a winger, is hoping that the award can spur him on for the rest of the campaign - and add a few more goals to his tally.