Harper hopes that his one-to-one lockdown

The freeze on lower-league training which upset Hearts during the week could be good news for a former Hibs star.

Kevin Harper, a skilful winger for the Easter Road club in the 1990s, has been running his own coaching business just outside Glasgow since quitting his post as Albion Rovers boss in May.

And while the Jambos and others have been barred from running coaching sessions until August 24 at the earliest, Harper is able to carry on with his own individual sessions, working with young professionals from all four of Scotland’s senior divisions.

“Since lockdown, I have only been doing one-to-one sessions, which are fine under the restrictions,” said the 44-year-old Scot.

“They are all socially-distanced, so the risk to the players is as low as it could be.

“I have guys from all levels, from Premiership down.

“They seem to enjoy the extra attention they get from the individual sessions.

“I have all my coaching badges, and played at a high level, both in Scotland with Hibs, and in England with Portsmouth, Derby County and a few others.

“So we can work on technical skills if that is what they want, situations they might encounter in games or even make sure their condition is up to speed. I try to avoid just doing straight fitness work because it would be a bit of a waste of their time and expertise.

“It has been really popular. These are difficult times for young players in the game, and plenty want to be able to hit the ground running.

“They reckon having that little bit of extra sharpness the sessions can give them might be the edge they need.”

While Harper says he would like to get back into football management, he is realistic enough to know that this year it is likely to be tougher than ever.

“I would be looking at a lower-league club, and they won’t be going back until the middle of October,” he said.

“After that, you are looking at a