Hibs on-loan striker Florian Kamberi entered the history books with the first top flight hat-trick at Easter Road for over ten years since Steven Fletcher scored three against Gretna.
Signed in the January window by Neil Lennon, he quickly won the affections of the fans (and the feeling is mutual) with a goal on his debut against Motherwell and since that time he has hit six in eight games.
There is much more to his game than goals however and his tireless work-rate has gone down well with the Easter Road faithful who are desperate to get him signed up on a permanent deal.
They have even written a song in his honour to the tune of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight.’ which was belted out during Tuesday’s victory over Hamilton.
Kamberi is contracted to Grasshoppers of Zurich until the summer of 2019 but Neil Lennon revealed that Hibs have an option to buy him.
Speaking after the game, Kamberi said: ” I am happy here. Grasshoppers did things with me that I don’t understand and that were disrespectful.
“They didn’t let me play in friendly matches, they didn’t tell me why I was not playing. Even if you don’t plan to use a player, you should tell them to their face. I trained very well and hard and there was no reason ever given to me.
“That has made me mentally stronger. I worked hard, did a lot of training by myself because I was not playing, and when I came to Hibs Neil Lennon gave me a chance. That was a signal that he wants me and would give me trust.
“I feel that trust in every single match and I will try to repay that with good performances and goals.
“You feel the manager’s presence when you are on the pitch. He gives you a feeling that you are the best on the pitch and for me, that’s important. I hear him all the time – he’s calling ‘well done Flo’ and I like that. His presence and his personality show that he’s a winner and I am also a winner.
“On Thursday we will be back in training to focus on a successful season with the team. We are in a good position and we need to keep moving forward like this.
“We are very confident. We are only one point behind Rangers and four behind Aberdeen. We have to play them both again, so everything is possible. We have to beat Ross County first and then after the break we will be ready for the split.”
Asked whether qualifying for Europe would have a bearing on his decision to stay, he replied: “To play in Europe would be a dream for me.
“Every child wants to play at the highest level and I think we have a very good chance to get into Europe next year.”
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.
