Cummings too confident to let miss haunt him
AS somoneone who was widely ridiculed this month for one of the worst misses of this or any other season, you would expect Hibernian striker Jason Cummings’ confidence to have taken something of a dent recently. You would imagine, too, that going seven games in a row without finding the net might be weighing heavily on his mind.
However, if there is one thing the Scotland Under-21 striker cannot be accused of, it is a lack of confidence and self-belief.
He is determined to get back to scoring ways, both for his own personal benefit but also that of Hibs, a team desperately in need of a pick-me-up as we rush headlong into the business end of the season.
The Easter Road side, and their young forward, could do no wrong for most of the current campaign, but both have suffered an alarming slump at just the wrong time.
Scotland Under-21s’ 2-0 loss in Angers to a hugely talented French side on Thursday night meant Cummings’ scoreless run reached that No7 mark.
He hit the headlines for the wrong reasons before the international break when he somehow managed to scoop the ball against the crossbar from a yard out at Raith Rovers with a wide-open goal gaping, as Hibs slumped to another damaging defeat. But his Chris I welumoesque moment does not appear to have bothered him in the slightest.
And he has even placed the blame for the shocking miss squarely at the door of the Stark’s Park groundsman.
‘My confidence is always high and I’m just enjoying myself,’ said Cummings, who has 20 goals to his name this season.
‘I just worry about my performances, so I’m still confident. I’ve had a bit of stick about the miss. I’ve forgotten about it now, though. It happens to everyone, especially strikers. I’m going to get chances because I put myself i n those positions. I was there to miss it but I’ve moved on.
‘It has made me a wee bit stronger. It happens to every top striker.
‘To be fair, the ground was a wee bit bobbly. I’m pointing the finger at that groundsman. I need to get his number. He’s stuck me under the bus a wee bit, that groundsman...’
Cummings will be hoping to end his goalless streak when Scotland Under-21s face Northern Ireland on Tuesday in Paisley. Three points is a must after only an inspired performance from Hearts back-up keeper Jack Hamilton kept the scoreline in Angers semi-respectable. Cummings, for one, believes the Tynecastle youngster can go far.
‘I have played against Jack a few times,’ said the Hibs man. ‘He’s one of those keepers strikers just don’t like. He seems to have those go-go-gadget arms that just pull the ball out of the stanchions.
‘You think you’re going to score and he’ll just pull it out the top corner. He did that the other night for us and kept us in the game first half.
‘The world is his oyster. Even in training Jack’s just got those safe hands. You know he’s going to be there for you and you have a lot of confidence in him that he’ll stop chances. He’ll definitely be a first-team starter very soon and he’ll kick on for good success.’
Cummings had a near-impossible shift in France when he was asked to play as a lone striker against a side with quality in depth running through their team.
But the 20-year-old believes he can learn from the experience of playing against the likes of PSG wonderkid Adrien Rabiot, who absolutely ran the show against the young Scots.
‘We knew before the game it was going to be a hard match for us,’ added Cummings. ‘We knew they had some unbelievable players, Champions League players.
‘But I thought we did well, took a lot of positives from it. Their class showed in the end, though, and you have just got to applaud them for the way they play. The style they play is unbelievable.
‘I think a lot of boys will take that away with them and maybe try to play more like them. They were a joy to watch. I was just chasing shadows and couldn’t get near to any of them.
‘Fair play to them. It’s so hard when you’re on the pitch and they’re just passing the ball around you.’