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Hibs defender Liam Fontaine admits he is determined to lead the club to back-to-back Scottish Cup and Championship success, and land himself a new contract at the same time.
The 30-year-old’s deal with the Easter Road outfit will expire next summer but Fontaine is hoping to continue his memorable journey with Hibs, especially if it means playing top-flight football.
Fontaine was part of the team that ended Hibs’ tortuous 114-year wait for Scottish Cup glory against Rangers in May and is planning to celebrate league success at the end of this season.
Neil Lennon’s outfit are a point clear of Dundee United at the summit and Fontaine is keeping his fingers crossed that helping the team achieve their objective will enhance his hopes of landing fresh terms.
Fontaine, who joined in August 2014, said: “Ever since I joined Hibs, I’ve loved my football here. I love the city and I love the group of lads we’ve got, and it’s a great place to be to play your football.
“I believe the club has got huge potential, so of course I want to be part of it.
“I think there are a few lads coming to the end of their contract but I’ve been in the game long enough that it doesn’t affect me one bit in my mind.
“We just get on with it and when we get to speaking about that sort of stuff then we get speaking.”
Hibs’ Scottish Cup win was recognised at a local awards ceremony yesterday after Fontaine and team-mates David Gray and Paul Hanlon collected the Forth Awards Contribution to Sport gong on behalf of the club.
Ahead of crucial games against Queen of the South and second place United, Fontaine admits taking the chequered flag in the league is his priority.
He added: “It would be great if we could win the Scottish Cup and win a league back-to-back, it’s pretty much a similar squad that is still here with a few very good additions.
“The Scottish Cup thing was always there, we dealt with that. This season, my number one target and everyone’s at the club is to get promotion and I think we’ve got the squad, the manager, the staff in place, and a way of playing that we can do that.
“It’s two big games coming up, if we can put down two good results then it opens up a little gap.
“Then it will be up to us but our biggest thing has been consistency, just keep churning out result after result.”
