Being last season’s top scorer in the Championship with 22 goals then starting this season in style with a further five should mean that Jason Cummings’ name would be first on Alan Stubbs’ team-sheets however the youngster is taking nothing for granted, particularly with the number and quality of strikers at the club following the transfer window.
Speaking immediately after Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Alloa Athletic during which he scored the second goal, Cummings said: “There’s plenty of competition for places and I’m looking over my shoulder. There are six or seven strikers who want to play so I need to keep working hard and scoring.
“I’ve got five goals already but I don’t feel added pressure from being the top scorer in the Championship last season. I always want to improve my scoring record.
“You are kept on your toes and we have a good standard of strikers who want to play. But I’ve got a jersey at the moment.”
There is more to Cummings’ game than scoring however and Head Coach Alan Stubbs has drummed it into him that helping the team win is more important than notching up the goals.
He added “The gaffer said to me it’s not necessarily about scoring – as long as I play well and do my best for the team I’ll keep my place. But I do like scoring every week.
“In the past if I played rubbish but scored I’d be happy instead of playing well for the team and scoring. But he’s happy if my all-round game is good and I link it up.
“The gaffer only brings in quality players. Izzy looks really fast and sharp. I need to slot in at left-back in training games so some of them can get a shot up front. But competition is good.”
Cummings has started the last two games alongside James Keatings and the pair have developed a strong partnership but there may have to be an enforced change for next week’s game at Livingston as the former Hearts’ striker had to leave the field with a hamstring injury.
Cummings continued: “I love playing with Keatings. He does most of my runs and I just need to tap it in. I was gutted when he pulled up in the game. I hope it’s not too bad.
“It was good to give the fans something to cheer about and top it off with a goal.”
Photo by John Preece
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.
