Allan shows drive and determination to prove fitness

SCOTT ALLAN aims to use his time at Caley Thistle to prove he is ready to start matches for Hibs as soon as next season kicks off.

The former Celtic midfielder, sidelined for five months with a worrying heart condition, might easily have stayed at Easter Road to pick up five minutes’ action here and there.

But after making his debut in the slender 1-0 victory over Arbroath, the 29-year-old’s drive and impatience was clear.

Since returning to training in December, Allan had only made four substitute appearances totalling around an hour. Anxious to play more, he pushed for a loan move with Inverness’ caretaker manager Neil McCann only too happy to have him.

“When Neil saw I wasn’t playing, his first thought wasn’t how I was feeling, it was that he wanted me to come here because of the type of footballer I am,” Allan said. “It was about my ability, not the condition, and that’s why I wanted to come here.

“Questions may have been asked [about my readiness], but I know I’m good to go. I will show that in the coming weeks. It’s the most game time I’ve had since I’ve been back from my heart condition. I hadn’t trained since Tuesday and then drove up on the morning of the game – so much for sports science! “It has been a long journey back since the end of August. There has been a lot of hard work just to make that first step of getting back on the bench for Hibs. “I knew myself that was never going to be enough for me to be happy. I’m a player who wants to play football and get back to being the best I can be. I could have sat at Hibs until the end of the season, but for me moving forward I want to come up here and get games. I want to prove I’m good to go for Hibs at the start of next season.”

The match was far from a classic, but the crucial moment came after 69 minutes with Nikolay Todorov sending a six-yard header past Arbroath goalkeeper Derek Gaston from Cameron Harper’s free-kick.