McGINN READY TO MAKE HIS RETURN
MOST people would find it pretty difficult to find any positives in being speared in the thigh by a pole, but John McGinn has just about managed. Speaking for the first time about the horrific trainingground prank back in April which saw former St Mirren team-mate Steven Thompson accidentally impale him, the new Hibs midfielder insists it could have been a lot worse. McGinn has not played since the incident, but is hoping to be included in Alan Stubbs’ squad for today’s opening Championship match at Dumbarton. Thompson admitted he was ‘mortified’ after leaving the 20-year-old with a wound in his leg. McGinn, who joined Hibs last week as a free agent after the Leith side paid St Mirren a six-figure compensation fee, said: ‘At the time, all I could think about was: “Is my leg going to be OK?”. ‘Thankfully, the doctor was on the scene right away and I’ll be forever grateful to Gerry Canning for being on the spot. ‘The physios and staff were really good. Thankfully, it missed the serious muscles in my leg or it could have been a worse. ‘There was a lot of blood, but I can’t really remember much because it happened so quickly. ‘I just remember looking down, I was glad the pole came back out. ‘I’ll be keeping an eye out for them in the future! But It wasn’t ideal. I’m just glad to have moved on and fully recovered. ‘I was only out for six to eight weeks, which was good. I’ve got a scar but it’s only small.’ The Scotland Under-21 captain admits he is itching to return to action and is hoping he has done enough to convince Stubbs he is ready after his first full week on the training pitch with his new employers. ‘It’s been really tough, ever since the injury, I just missed football,’ he added. ‘I haven’t played any sort of game since April and that’s why I’m not being rushed back in. I need to be ready. ‘I missed an awful lot and it’s just good to be back on the training pitch. ‘Selfishly, though, I’d like to be involved at the weekend but it’s the manager’s decision to make. ‘It could be a few months before the Hibs fans see the best of me, but they should know I’ll be working as hard as I can with all the staff here to make sure I’m in the best shape I can be.’