Signing new deal was easy decision — the Championship never even crossed my mind
FOR Hibs teenager Sam Stanton, a new f our- year contract extension offers the security of being tied to Easter Road until 2018. After putting pen to paper, however, the gifted 19-year-old is equally certain as to where his future does not lie in the years ahead — and that’s in the Scottish Championship.
As one of the few bright spots in yet another gloomy season for Hibs, Stanton knows all the personal plaudits he has received during his breakthrough campaign will be rendered meaningless should Terry Butcher’s team go down via a relegation play-off.
Yet while he knows his side are struggling for form and lie just four points ahead of second-bottom placed Partick Thistle, the gifted teenager insists the R-word never crossed his mind when agreeing his new deal.
‘I wasn’t contemplating Championship football when I signed my new deal. Not at all,’ he said.
‘You never know what’s going to happen in football but, with the group of players we’ve got, we can pick up the points we need.
‘Being a Hibs fan and being at the club for so many years, signing the new deal was an easy decision for me to make. It’s nice that the club have shown loyalty in me and that they think I’m a good asset.
‘I feel very privileged to be playing for Hibs but I suppose it’s been a bittersweet experience this season because, at a team like Hibs, you can’t get away with losing a lot. It’s been quite difficult at times but my main aim is to keep the club in the league — and we are more than capable of doing it.’
The Leith outfit face a crucial game tomorrow at fellow strugglers St Mirren that could leave them seven points clear of the relegation play-off with four games left — or sucked deeper into trouble. They face a Saints team boosted by their recent fine win over second-place hopefuls Motherwell.
‘ That was a good win f or St Mirren,’ admitted Stanton, who can play out wide but sees his longer-term future in the middle of the park for Hibs.
‘The next five are very big games and all the teams are capable of picking up points, so it’s going to be very interesting.
‘I know the league table does not lie. We’re on a very bad run of form but the quality is there and I do think we can prove everyone wrong. A win on Saturday could give us a very nice cushion going into the next four games.’
During a lengthy career, Butcher’s No 2 Maurice Malpas has worked alongside gifted young Scots like Duncan Ferguson, Christian Dailly and James McFadden.
And the former Scotland Under-21 boss believes Stanton has a real chance of carving out a fine career.
‘When Terry and I first came in, Sam was a sub — at best,’ he said. ‘But he got his chance, took it, and he has been excellent, a real breath of fresh air. He can beat people, he’s got a change of pace, he’s energetic and he can score a goal too.
‘He excites the crowd. He’s the type of player that the fans love to see. An attacking type as opposed to defensive types that fans don’t really pay to come and watch.
‘He’s got a right good chance in the game but you don’t want to jump the gun. He has more than earned his new four-year deal by what he’s done since we’ve come here.’
Malpas was also delighted to see a gifted young Scot buck the trend and not follow the money down to England — then disappear from view.
‘We’ve got a lot of excellent young players in Scottish football,’ he said. ‘I just think we knock them too much.
‘Some of them also get bad advice and go down south because they’re getting a buck more than they get up here. And they get stuck. They go and play in Under-20 football or whatever and stop progressing.
‘They lose that buzz because they are not playing in front of a crowd.
‘So it’s good that we’ve kept Sam here and he learns his trade with Hibs. I know there were clubs watching him and I’m sure at some time in the future people will become interested in him again, as opposed to him disappearing down south and perhaps being forgotten about.
‘It’s important for the young kids that they can see a pathway — and there’s one here. We are keen for them to develop and be a big part of our squad. It’s up to them to earn their place and then enjoy it.’