Fairytale rise from clean sheets to goals
IT did not smash any spending records on deadline day but Jamie Insall’s move to Hibernian, confirmed yesterday, might just be the feel-good transfer of the summer window. No fee, no agent’s cut, just a prolific semi-pro striker handing in his notice at a Worcester laundrette and swapping the 11th tier of English football to play in the Scottish Championship. Insall was turning out last season for Bromyard Town in the West Midlands (Regional) League division one, and working parttime for a laundry company, collecting bedding from hotels. That has all changed since the 23-year-old impressed Hibs manager Alan Stubbs in a trial this month, scoring one and making the other in an under21 friendly against Brentford, which finished 2-2. Insall, who left Bromyard for Stourbridge in June, was invited to the Scottish capital after being spotted by John Morris, the agent of Stubbs and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy. Before he knew it a one-year deal was on the table. ‘It has been a whirlwind,’ said Insall. ‘It’s hard to believe what’s happened. There’s a lot of hard work ahead but I’m looking forward to scoring goals for Hibs.’ Stubbs was taken by the energy, attitude and personality of a quick and willing striker who made life uncomfortable for defenders. George Craig, Hibernian’s head of football operations, said: ‘Life is about opportunities. We are taking a bit of a risk. Jamie is also taking a risk. But this is about a young person with ability and potential. It’s quite refreshing.’ Morris received no fee for the deal. Craig said: ‘He wanted to do it because he thought he was a kid who deserved a chance.’ Morris also signed up Vardy when he was playing in non-League and the player’s rise from Stocksbridge Park Steels to the Barclays Premier League with Leicester and the England squad has made him an inspiration for a generation of jilted amateur footballers. Now Insall’s story proves there is still a little romance in the hard-nosed transfer business.