Kevin will bounce back
Clark backs midfield star as he start the long road to recovery...

The news that Kevin Thomson and Hibs fans feared was realised last night when the club confirmed that the 19 year old midfielder had suffered cruciate ligament damage in Wednesday night's game against Partick Thistle.  The news certainly puts Thomson out for the rest of 2004 and, depending in how quickly he recovers, possibly even the start of 2005!  The midfielder will undergo an operation to repair the damage this weekend before being forced to rest up for the start of the long recovery process, one which caretaker manager Jim Clark believes the midfield starlet will take in his stride.

"It's a long road back, but he's a strong character. The injury will be bad for him to take at this age, but he's got youth on his side and medical science is improving all the time."  Clark last night backed the youngster to make a full recovery from the injury although he did acknowledge the seriousness of it.  "Cruciate ligament damage is one of the worst injuries you can get as a player.  Patience is the key. In my playing days people packed it in after an injury like that, but the advancement in medical technology means these days players can make full recoveries.  Many players have come back from similar injuries and I am sure that Kevin will be the same."

Thomson - out for 7 or 8 months  (sns)

Naturally, Thomson is down about the accident which caused the injury, as are his team mates who were reluctant to take part in the usual post-match press conference on Wednesday night.  That said, Clark believes that he will get over it thanks to the attitude that he has.  "I spoke with Kevin this morning and he is obviously upset and disappointed but he will get over it.  He has a good attitude and he is a very hardworking boy."  The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for Thomson with a recent call up to the Scotland setup his reward for some consistently good performances in the first team, something he could only dream of at the start of the season.  "He has done very well since he came into the side, probably better than we expected.  And he has been called up into the 21s, so obviously it is very disappointing for him."

With Hibs making a foray into Europe through the Intertoto Cup this year, Clark tried to sound positive, knowing though that putting a positive spin on such news is almost impossible!  "I always like to look on the positive side but obviously he has no chance of making the Intertoto.  I think the earliest he could hope to be back is Christmas or January. And he will be doing well at that." 

Hibs have confirmed that the team will wear the new home strip for their first Intertoto Cup clash on July 3rd at Easter Road.  With the new away strip set to follow a couple of weeks later, it's likely that the club will also take the opportunity to show this off in the away leg a week later.

Malcolm Colquhoun will be the guest on RadioHibs flagship Saturday Live show this Saturday starting at 9.30am.  The overworked Hibs physio will be talking about the players who've passed through his treatment room over the past 9 months as well as those currently there with some stories from previous seasons also likely to be heard.