Hibs’ on-loan striker Anthony Stokes has insisted that he doesn’t care whether he scores against Ross County on Sunday so long as he picks up a Scottish League Cup winners medal.
Stokes was a surprise signing from Celtic but his return to Easter Road was greeted with enthusiasm from the Hibs’ fans who remembered his performances and goals from his first spell with the club. Scoring in his first two games added to the excitement however since then the goals have dried up and the results have been poor.
There were signs on Sunday against Inverness that the confidence had returned and now the Irish international insists that the players are all focussed on the final.
Speaking to Hibs TV Stokes said: “On the big occasions you want to help the team as much as possible but genuinely I don’t care if I score on Sunday although I want to score, but I don’t care who scores as long as we win and put in a good performance.”
“I always find that it takes me six or seven games to get going and it was similar last time I joined Hibs from Sunderland. I don’t think I scored for the first six or seven games then.
“I am finding my feet and feeling sharp and my match fitness is coming back as well. I am getting to 60/70 minutes quite easily now it’s just getting that extra bit to see me through the full 90 minutes.
“The fans have been brilliant with me. I was hoping when I came back that I would hit the ground running and I scored in the first two games but it has taken me a bit of time to get going and to get my sharpness up and my fitness but I felt a lot better on Sunday and feel that I am getting close to my best with the cup final coming up and another big game next Wednesday.
Stokes is currently preparing for the game in the sunshine at La Cala in Spain along with his team mates and he confirmed that everyone is working hard and enjoying the training sessions.
He continued: “It’s been good so far. It’s nice to get away into a different environment and the sun is out. We have been enjoying it and working hard doing double sessions every day and that’s the plan for the next few days.
“It gives you a bit more focus being away with the squad. We are just heading down to the gym for an hour then we will be back for training this afternoon.
“The facilities here are brilliant. The pitches are second to none and we are enjoying it.
“Being back at Hibs has been great so far. results haven’t gone our way the last three or four games. At the weekend against Inverness was a good performances which got us back on track.
“We are looking forward to Sunday now and are fully focussed on that.
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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.
