BY IAIN COLLIN – @CCP_sport
IT TOOK Grant Holt just 12 seconds of his Hibs debut to find out what all the ‘hype’ surrounding Jason Cummings has been about.
And the experienced striker is now hopeful the youngster won’t be in any hurry to leave Easter Road as he eyes a fruitful strike partnership that can shoot Hibs to promotion.
Holt was involved in the move as Cummings gave manager Neil Lennon a dream start to his Hibs bow with a goal after just 12 seconds of Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Berwick Rangers.
It gave Holt an insight into what lies behind the fuss that has been made over Cummings and the potential of a big-money move for him south of the border.
But the 35-year-old Norwich City hall of fame member hopes the Scotland under-21 cap stays for the time being.
Holt said: “I’ve seen bits and I’ve heard stuff about him. I know he scores goals and there’s all the hype in the press that he’s going here and there.
“Fair play to him, that just shows you’ve had a good season.
“It’ll be up to him and the club to decide whatever happens with his future.
“But, as a player and as a lad, we want him in our squad and hopefully we can keep him.
“He has an eye for goal. You never lose your eye for goal in pre-season – you might lose your fitness but not your eye for goal.
“The plan is to try and strike up a partnership with him.
“If you look at the squad we have and the players we have up front, the four in the first-half on Tuesday I thought moved the ball really well.
“We looked good for a team that’s just started. There was just a little bit of rust.”
Promotion
Holt played in the Europa League with Wigan Athletic three years ago and is relishing the prospect of another taste of continental competition, with Hibs due to play the first-leg of their second round qualifier next Thursday.
However, enjoyable as he hopes that experience will be, the ex-Nottingham Forest and Shrewsbury Town marksman is adamant the focus for the Scottish Cup winners must be on winning promotion back to the Premiership.
He added: “I was fortunate enough to play in Europe with Wigan and they are the kind of things you want to be involved in.
“We don’t want to detract from the league season but we are in it, we want to beat Brondby and we want to get into the group stages.
“You want to enjoy it. You don’t want to win the cup and that to be it, you want to push on and we have the opportunity to play in Europe and as a group of players it’s a fantastic achievement to be able to do that.
“This is a club that isn’t where it should be, it shouldn’t be in this division. Being from Carlisle I know a lot about Scottish football, being on the border.
“I watch it and I read about it, and I know Hibs shouldn’t be in this division, I think everyone knows they should be higher.
“That’s the aim this season. Regardless of anything else, we want to win the league and we want to get into the Premiership and that’s what we’ll be aiming for from day one.”
