Hibs kid Booth is made to measure

Jim Weir was boss of the 19-year-old twice, taking him on loan to Arbroath for the second half of last season and striking a similar deal with the Easter Road club to allow Booth to gain more first team experience at Brechin City this season.

But the former Hamilton, Hearts and St Johnstone defender was powerless to prevent Hibs manager Colin Calderwood recalling Booth at the start of the January transfer window although he's looked on in delight as the big youngster has gone straight into action in the SPL.

And Weir has no doubt that's only the start for the East Lothian star who has already won his first Scotland Under-21 cap and joined Easter Road team-mates Paul Hanlon, David Wotherspoon and Danny Galbraith as coach Billy Stark pulled his squad together to begin preparing for their European Championship campaign.

"There's no doubt Callum has ability," said Weir, pictured right. "He has very good close control, is decent with both feet and really quick going forward.

"He's exciting to watch, he scored some absolutely cracking goals to win matches for us through individual brilliance. For someone of such a young age he has so much in his locker, he has a wee bit to learn and needs to strengthen up a bit but he's over 6ft tall and has natural ability.

"If he continues the way he has been going then I'd see him as a full internationalist."

Weir struck a deal with former Hibs boss John Hughes to take both Booth and Ewan Moyes on loan to Glebe Park after enrolling the services of them while manager of Arbroath last season, and he has nothing but praise for the Easter Road youngsters. But while Calderwood decided to allow Moyes to remain with Brechin for the remainder of the season, he had no hesitation at using the first opportunity he had to bring Booth back to the Capital.

Today Weir insisted he wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Booth pitched straight into the first team, making his first appearance as a substitute in the shock Scottish Cup defeat by Ayr United before going on to start each of Hibs' last five matches.

And he believes the fact Booth showed himself able to handle the less than comfortable situation in which Hibs had found themselves in shows the youngster has the mental strength to go with his undoubted footballing talents.

He said: "Even when he's not having the best of games Callum is confident in his own ability, he's very comfortable on the ball. And now that the opportunity has come, he's grabbed it with both hands.

"Hibs had a couple of indifferent results when he first went back but Colin stuck with him, he's gone from strength-to-strength, possibly been one of Hibs' better players and they've now had a couple of excellent results.

"I've been reading the reports on Hibs matches and asking people I know in the club how Callum has been doing and it's good to see he's doing well."

Weir admitted watching Booth return to Hibs had been a big blow for Brechin, the Angus club having made the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup for the first time in their 105-year history while they are also challenging for the Second Division title, nine points behind Livingston after the Almondvale outfit's 2-0 win over Airdrie United on Tuesday night but with two games in hand. Although Booth was prevented from playing in the Scottish Cup, Weir agreed he was just happy to have enjoyed not only having the youngster in his squad but being able to play a part in his development over the past year.

He said: "I'd seen Callum at a young age, made some inquiries and spoke to Hibs youth coach Alistair Stevenson, who I know well from our time together at St Johnstone, and things progressed from there.

"I'd had Callum and Ewan at Arbroath last season and after the way Callum performed I was really delighted to get him again. I managed to strike up a deal with John Hughes for both Callum and Ewan and both were absolutely fantastic for us.

"Ewan is getting better and better with every game. He's maturing quickly although he is still at a very young age. Early doors he might make a mistake but that comes with experience. I'm always stressing to him the importance of being a good, solid defender."

Even so, Weir always had it at the back of his mind that he might be deprived of the services of either Booth or Moyes - or even both - for the second half of the season.

He said: "There was always that possibility. I'd have loved to see Callum stay with us as he'd been excellent so I knew it would be a big, big loss when he went.

"And, to be honest, it's very hard to get a player of his quality as a replacement."

Watching Booth, Hanlon, Wotherspoon and Galbraith finding their way in the SPL is, Weir insisted, proof that Hibs are continuing to nurture some of the Scottish game's best young talent, a youth system into which he hopes to tap again in the future.

He said: "Hopefully Hibs are pleased with Callum's development and how we looked after him while he was with us and, fingers crossed, that will help us get some more young players to Brechin,

"As I have said, I know Alistair well and I'll be keeping in touch to see if there's maybe any other youngsters available they want to put out on loan to help their development.

"It's good for both clubs, we get talented young players whom we can hopefully develop and who can then go back to first-team football as Callum has done."

Although Booth has gone, Moyes can look forward to an exciting end to the season under Weir as Brechin challenge on two fronts, a visit from the manager's old club St Johnstone standing between them and a place in the Cup semi-finals, while hopes of the Second Division title still burn brightly.

Weir said: "It's fantastic for the club to be in the quarter- finals of the Cup for the first time in our history but a travesty the match isn't going to be shown on television. It's going to be difficult against St Johnstone but we feel we have a realistic chance.

We've got a very tough spell coming up, 13 games in six weeks but nine of them at home. Our squad is fairly tight and we are close to one or two suspensions but it's a challenge we are all looking forward to."