BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
SCOTT BAIN has vowed to show Dundee what they are missing after insisting he has made a step up by joining Hibernian.
The 26-year-old’s career at Dens Park ended under a cloud after he fell out with boss Neil McCann.
Bain was axed from the first-team set-up, was made to turn out for the Development Squad and fined by the club under contentious circumstances. Players’ union PFA Scotland are currently mitigating that situation after he challenged the punishment.
Consequently, he has not played a competitive game since a 3-1 defeat at home to Hamilton on October 28 and he has wasted no time in securing a January exit, penning a loan deal with Neil Lennon’s men until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent move.
There are uncanny similarities between Bain and close pal Martin Boyle, who arrived at Hibs from Dundee temporarily two years ago – before joining long-term and becoming a Scottish Cup winning hero.
Bain said: “I know a few of the boys here. It’s not going to be a case of coming into the unknown. Boyley was at Dundee with me and we are good friends. I’m sure he will give me a wee tour! He texted me to congratulate me on the move and to tell me he was buzzing.
“He actually looked after me when I first went to Dundee – he looked after me and was great. So I’ll be expecting much the same here at Hibs.
“Boyley has been fantastic since he came here to Hibs on loan from Dundee. He deserves all the praise that he has been getting recently. I pretty much feel the same way; I hope I can bring a similar thing to Hibs that Boyley has brought – in terms of coming from Dundee and showing that it’s their loss.
“You could see this as a step up. There’s not many people who get a loan move from third-bottom of the league to fourth-top and challenging for second and third spot.
“The facilities here are fantastic, the stadium is fantastic and the level of crowd you get is unbelievable here. It’s something I am really looking forward to.”
On his contentious exit, he added: “You would need to speak to Dundee about that – but I was out of the team and this opportunity came up. The way it was handled was the way it was handled. I’m still a Dundee employee, on loan at Hibs, and the stuff with the PFA is still ongoing. There’s not much I can say about it.”
While mentions of McCann were conspicuously absent, Bain made a point of thanking ex-Dundee boss Paul Hartley, the man who signed him from Alloa, and hailed the support he has received on social media from the club’s fans.
He continued: “I had a great three and a half years there, I have some fantastic memories I will take with me and I appreciate they took a chance on me from a part-time team. It was a big risk, and I thank Paul Hartley for that.
Memories
“The Dundee fans were great. My Twitter inbox was full of a lot of fans wishing me all the best and sorry to see me go. I felt the same but we move on in football.”
Bain, Edinburgh born-and-bred, is determined to usurp Israel internationalist Ofir Marciano between the sticks and ensure he lands a long-term contract, adding: “Hopefully I do well enough to impress the manager and become a Hibs player full-time.”
He is also eyeing a Scotland recall, having been part of Gordon Strachan’s Scotland squad for matches against Qatar and the Republic of Ireland in the summer of 2015. That only served to whet his appetitive for international honours.
Bain, who jets out to Portugal with his new teammates for a winter training camp on Saturday morning, added: “Being at a club of the stature of Hibs, competing at the top end of the division, can only be a boost to Scotland hopes.
“The first time I went away with Scotland it was unbelievable – just fantastic. I loved every second of it, so it’s in there in the back of my mind. But the short-term focus is Hibs and doing the best I can for this club.
“If I can produce the level of performances that I know I can, then there is no reason I can’t be thought about in that conversation to be in a squad.”
