Hibs’ goalkeeper Ofir ‘Rocky’ Marciano will leave Easter Road with a heavy heart when his contract expires in the summer but he is determined to help the club reach the Scottish Cup final and play in front of the fans for one last time.
The Israeli international’s future has been the cause of much speculation throughout the season and he has finally made up his mind to go but he insists that it will be an amicable separation.
He said: “In most of my interviews since I came to the club I always mention the fans who are the biggest part of this club. The fans can attract good players. The Hibs’ fans are amazing and they have been good to me since I came here so I really hope that we get to the Scottish cup final and we get at least some of them at the stadium. I will try my best to get this privilege to play in from of them once again.
“It is not an easy decision for me. I’ve had lots of thoughts about this because this club is like a home to me. I’ve been here for five years and I never expected to be here for that time.
“Football is a short career and you want to maximize your opportunities and at this stage in my career, I would like to try that. It is a really tough decision for me but it is something I have to do for myself and my family. It very was important for me to be honest with the manager and the club as early as possible so they can get ready and prepare for the next season when I won’t be here.
“It’s a tough one and a really sad one, but it’s something I have been thinking about for a long time and this is the decision that we took.
It’s amazing here, I have been through many experiences here, in the Championship and promotion to the top flight I have enjoyed it since day one.
“I was impressed by the club, the size, the culture. We managed to get to the Premiership and had some good achievements in the top division, we broke the points record and hopefully we do it again this year.
“I am happy I helped the club to some achievements. We still have lots of things to play for between now and the end of the season.”
“Overall we have had good performances and showed good mentality especially when we had some dips in our form. We managed to get up again and we kept a good level of performances.
“This is another big game. We are not trying to hide from it. We should come to this game and try and get the three points which would be very important to our targets this year.
Head Coach Jack Ross added: “I think there is a misconception that whenever a player leaves a club, it isn’t in good circumstances. I have spoken over the last few months of the dialogue I have enjoyed with Ofir.
“That’s continued through this period where we have put the best contract we can to him and him informing us that his future lies elsewhere. The great thing was that it was never going to change our relationship if he continued to play well.
“It’s gone as well as could be expected to in the circumstances. As a manager, I have moved clubs and I understand. Ofir’s 31 now and has responsibilities to provide for his family. I am fully understanding of him making the decision and I know when it comes to him leaving it will be a difficult moment for him.”
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.
