I can’t wait for the top flight tussle

MARTIN BOYLE has signed a new two-year deal at Hibs.

The forward, 24, joined the Leith side in the January window in 2015 but made his move permanent in the summer of that year.

Now he has extended his contract with the Edinburgh club until 2019.

Boyle said: “I’m really pleased to be staying at Hibs.

“Ever since I made my debut for the club I’ve enjoyed my time here and when I was offered a new deal it was hard to say no – especially as I’ve made so many good memories in the last two and a half years.

“My goal when I first joined was to win promotion back to the top flight and it was great to achieve that.

“I’m really looking forward to the next campaign and playing in the Premiership at Easter Road.”

Boss Neil Lennon is delighted with the news and said: “Keeping hold of Martin is a real positive for the club.

“He can play in a variety of positions, always gives 100 per cent and his pace is a great asset. He can also score goals, lay on assists and is able to help us transition from defence to attack.” HARRY KANE might be the English Premier League scoring sensation Scotland have to stop at Hampden next week.

But Russell Martin remembers a time when the Spurs hotshot couldn’t find the net during a miserable loan stint at Norwich.

Gordon Strachan is likely to hand Martin the daunting task of trying to shackle Kane in next week’s World Cup qualifier.

And how he could do with the player he shared a dressing room with at Carrow Road turning up in Glasgow rather than the White Hart Lane wonder man.

Martin admitted he could never have predicted what Kane would have achieved after their spell together at Norwich.

Signed by Chris Hughton on loan, the striker endured a frustrating time in Norfolk with a broken foot adding to his misery.

That limited the 23-year-old to just five games and Scotland stopper Martin even outscored him after he netted in a defeat by West Ham – which was Kane’s first-ever Premier League start.

Kane can’t stop scoring now and his tally of seven in the final two games of the season saw him win the Golden Boot for the second season running as Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino labelled him “world class”.

The striker was recovering from an ankle injury and sat on the bench for the last Auld Enemy clash with Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge – who scored in the 3-0 win at Wembley – in attack.

But Kane is almost certain to feature for Gareth Southgate’s men in Glasgow and Martin recalled his early days with the front man.

The Norwich captain said: “I don’t think any of us could have foreseen what he’s gone on to achieve. Harry didn’t have the impact he would have liked at our place. He didn’t really have a chance to be honest.

“He came in and it was different playing for us in the Premier League – and he was only young.

“It’s difficult for a young striker

He’ll still be humble and that’s why he’ll have a top career over a long period RUSSELL MARTIN

to come in and make an impact and he only made one league start.

“But while he’s gone on to exceed expectations, we knew he was a good player. In training we certainly saw glimpses of what we had. He is one of the best finishers I’ve seen. He’d been on loan a lot of times and it was just a case getting settled and working on the physical side.

“He’s a better athlete than he was back then and looks bigger, stronger and more powerful. I can’t speak highly enough of him as a lad and he deserves everything he gets.

“I don’t know what he’s like now but he was a quiet lad around the group back then but we had no problems with him at all.

“When we had days off he would go back and see his family. I saw him at the PFA dinner last year when he won an award and the biggest compliment most people pay him is that he won’t change.

“He’ll still be humble and that’s why he’ll have a great career over a long period of time. Nobody can argue with what he’s done and his form over the last two years has been world class.

“In football, confidence is huge and his manager has backed him. He wants him to be the focal point. I’ve come up against him a few times at Spurs and he scored last season – but I was at full back in that game!

“He was on the bench when we played them at Wembley but I think he was just coming back from injury and hadn’t played at Spurs.

“But he is great for Tottenham