by Stuart Crowther

Date: 4th July 2002

Life returns to Easter Road Williamson gathers his troops again after summer break THE SUNSHINE HAS HARDLY HAD A CHANCE TO SHINE on Leith since the curtain fell on the 2001/02 football season, Edinburgh suffering one the worse summer's on record in a period that has seen the doom and gloom stretch to the attitude of the Hibernian support.  But as Bobby Williamson and his squad gather again at Easter Road today, some of that gloom is being lifted and the job of building confidence in the club is underway with a vengeance. The formal announcement yesterday that French midfielder Frederic Arpinon had signed a 1-year extension to his existing contract was the first piece of real news from the club since the season ended, and manager Bobby Williamson also made his own intentions perfectly clear by inviting Mathias Jack to join the rest of the squad today, although Jack still remains out of contract at least until managing director Rod Petrie returns to his office next week.  The club are also expected to sign former Kilmarnock striker Tommy Johnson, adding some experience to a Hibs attack that is lacking in that department since the departure of Craig Brewster to Dunfermline. Williamson - gathers his squad together today And there was more good news on the commercial department from Hibs yesterday, as new director Stephen Powell revealed a raft of ideas that will appeal to Hibs fans.  These include a scheme to have local business sponsor blocks of season tickets which will be distributed to under-privileged children in the Edinburgh area, a scheme that mirrors Hibs.net's own season ticket sponsorship announced some weeks ago. The aims of the scheme, to provide a means for young Hibs fans to attend games that they would not otherwise be in a position to afford, where outlined by Powell who said: "I’m hoping that through this programme we can join together to brighten the lives of some kids who are in less than positive circumstances.  In the short-term it will give them the opportunity to enjoy football when they might not have had that chance, but in the longer term we obviously hope they will become Hibs supporters." While the club concentrates their scheme on local business, who will be asked to purchase blocks of 20 tickets, the Hibs.net scheme is aimed at individual Hibs fans who cannot themselves attend Easter Road on a regular basis, in particular those who live overseas, and with nevertheless to put something into the club.  With near identical aims, both schemes show once again the willingness of Hibernian and the support of the club to be innovators in the Scottish game, and other SPL clubs can now be expected to follow the lead set by Hibs and Hibs fans. Elsewhere Gary Caldwell has finally completed his loan deal from Newcastle to Coventry City.  Caldwell spent the last three months of last season at Easter Road, brought to the club by Franck Sauzee with the player seeking first-team football for the first time in his career.  Caldwell was so successful that he went on to gain his first full caps for Scotland, and while Hibs had hoped to extend the deal into this season the player chose instead to return to English football.  After signing a new 2-year deal at Newcastle, Caldwell yesterday agreed to a 1-year loan deal with the Nationwide League side.  And former Hibs boss Jim Duffy is looking set for a surprise return to football management after he was quoted as being the main contender for the job at his former club, Dundee.  Duffy was sacked last season from his post at Portsmouth, having spent some time as youth coach with Chelsea since being sacked by Hibs after a disastrous spell in charge at Easter Road.