Youngster Danny Handling is determined to be back in contention for a first team place for the visit of champions Celtic to Easter Road on Saturday 18 October.
The teenager played his part in the Under 20s defeat of Dundee United on Tuesday night in Arbroath, setting up Jason Cummings for the opener before being involved in Euan Smith’s winner.
The Haddington youngster told Hibernian TV “Playing well on Tuesday night has given me a good boost of confidence; I set a goal up, but I’d liked to have scored one myself.
“To have played a part in both goals was just as good as they turned out to be what we needed to win the game and I’ve taken confidence from that and the rest of the game and my performance.
“The match went well and I didn’t feel any problem with my ankle at all. It was a good game to play in as the Dundee United under-20s are a decent side. We played good football, so it made it an enjoyable game to play in for my first game back.”
Handling, suffered a bruised a bone in his right ankle against Ross County at the end of August, which forced him to withdraw from the Scotland under-21.
He continued: “I had a bruised bone in my right ankle; at first we all thought it was only going to be a week or two out, but it started to get worse and eventually it was four weeks out. I had to go for an MRI scan to make sure that there was no further damage to my ankle.
“Thankfully there wasn’t and it was only four weeks out and I got a good run out tonight.”
Handling says he is keen to continue playing games in an effort to gain some much needed match fitness and could potentially feature against Craigroyston on Saturday in the East of Scotland Qualifying League or against Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s under-20s side on Tuesday night at Livingston and his main objective is to make himself available for selection for the visit of the Celtic to Easter Road on Saturday 19 October.
He said: “Now that I have the game time under my belt, I’m looking to get my fitness levels back up to what they were before – and that can only happen through playing games.
“If that is a game at under-20s level then that’s what I have to do. But as I’ve said it’s a good team and it is enjoyable and to get my fitness back is my main aim just now.
“I’m hoping to be fit again for the Celtic game after the international break, but whether I am involved or not is up to the gaffer.
“I’m hoping to be fit and ready for selection for the Celtic game. I’m just going to keep working hard in training and keep going about things the right way.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
