Hamilton hat-trick heroics set up tasty Hibs clash

THE match ball was signed by all his team-mates and will be boxed and framed as a permanent reminder of his first professional hat-trick. Striker Jack Hamilton, 21, was delighted to notch a treble as Championship leaders Arbroath cruised into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup at the expense of West of Scotland Premier outfit Darvel — and were rewarded with a mouth-watering tie at home to Hibs. It was the first time Hamilton had netted three times in a game since he was on loan at Junior outfit Penicuik Athletic from parent club Livingston. After opening the scoring in the 28th minute on Saturday and notching his second in the 68th, he feared his chance of a hat-trick was going to pass him by when he spurned some goalscoring opportunities. But in stoppage time he was in the right place at the right time to finish off sub Luke Donnelly’s low cross. ‘This is my first professional hat-trick, so I am buzzing,’ said Hamilton. ‘I’ve got the match ball and it’s all signed, it’s a great memento. ‘As soon as I got the first two, I was determined to get the third but I didn’t think it was going to come with all the chances I missed.’ Hamilton had a successful spell on loan at Arbroath from Livingston in the second half of last season, notching eight goals as they pulled clear of relegation trouble to stay in the Championship. He has returned on loan from Livi to a club at the top of the second tier and is relishing their push for the Premiership. ‘It’s good to come into a team at the top of the league,’ he said. ‘Last season the club was in relegation trouble and that was a bit harder but this year everyone is buzzing around the changing room. ‘We’ve got Partick Thistle next and then Kilmarnock after that, two huge games.’ Darvel relished facing Dick Campbell’s side but manager Michael Kennedy is staying focused on success in the West of Scotland Premier Division. ‘We were never going to win the Scottish Cup so at some point we were going to go out,’ he reasoned. ‘We’re close in the league and still in every other domestic cup, so we have a real chance to win some trophies.’