Whittaker looks to the future

● Veteran unsure of next destination but is keen to keep on playing before making the move into management

It wasn’t the ending he had envisaged. Stranded at home as the last few weeks and months of his Hibernian contract ran down, Steven Whittaker has been denied the Easter Road send-off he was hoping for.

He has spent the past three seasons back at the club where his professional career kicked off but all good things come to an end and, with his deal up, his only regret is the chance the coronavirus pandemic denied him of adding to his tally of appearances and the opportunity to say goodbye and thank you.

“I would have liked to play at Easter Road again before leaving but all this stopped that from happening,” said Whittaker, admitting he does feel slightly short-changed by circumstance. “I was getting back in the team but they say you never know when your last game will be and that was the case here. It would have been nice to say a proper goodbye and thank you to the fans, in what you knew would be your final game at Easter Road for Hibs, but I missed out on that.”

In fact his last run-out in Leith was back in February and his last start for the team came on the road, at Pittodrie, where he marked the occasion with a 55th-minute send- ing off.

“That’s 20 years I have been playing and ten years of that has been at Hibs so they have been a massive part of my career, developing me first and foremost and then giving me the opportunity to go back there in my twilight years,” he said. “I have had great support from the club and the fans and it would have been nice to thank them.

“I had been in and out the team a little bit but I had been put back into the team and I felt I was up to speed and doing well. I really felt I was going to have a strong finish to the season.

“It would have been nice to get in a few more games at Easter Road and it is a shame that was taken away from me,” added Whittaker.

But it has given him a desire to get more game time under his belt before he even contemplates the big switch from playing to coaching or management. “Getting back in the team there and having that little spell, I was buzzing to be back playing again for Hibs,” he added. “I still feel I have a lot to give as a player. I was more than holding my own in that central midfield role and I will have to assess my options for when football gets back to some kind of normality. I want to still play and I still have plenty in the tank so we will see how it plays out and what all my options are.”

Despite the fact he turns 36 in June, Whittaker remains in good shape thanks to sensible living and the kind of professional approach that earned him the respect of managers and team-mates.

“It all comes down to your attitude to your work,” he said. “I have always worked hard throughout my career, to be the best that I can be, That’s never left me throughout the 20 years I’ve played.

“This is going to be a long break and I am fully aware that I need to stay on top of my fitness

“Itwouldhavebeen nicetosayaproper goodbyeandthankyou tothefans,inwhatyou knew would be your finalgameateaster Roadforhibs,buti missedoutonthat”

STEVEN WHITTAKER

and make sure I am ready if I do get the opportunity to go and play again.”

There was some speculation that Hibs could be his swansong and the next phase of his career would involve coaching. He hopes that day will come, having tucked his B Licence under his belt and awaiting a date for next month’s postponed A Licence assessment. He was also one of several Hibernian veterans who tackled a new football management course at Napier University to shine some light on what he can expect from that job away from the training pitch.

“I found it all very intriguing and it is something I hope will be useful down the line but I feel I can still offer something on the pitch,” he said.

“I want to keep playing at the highest level. I have had a few conversations, and there is interest south of the border and up here, but it is early days