Aaron Scott eager to help Spartans win cup after faith shown by Dougie Samuel

Aaron Scott, pictured during his Hibs days, is loving life at Spartans

The central midfielder returned to Scotland in January following an 18-month spell in the USA after his scholarship with the University of New Mexico was cut short due to financial troubles.

However, the former Hearts and Hibs youth player was quickly snapped up by Dougie Samuel and the 21-year-old has settled again into life in Edinburgh since jetting back across the Atlantic.

Now Scott is preparing for his biggest game of the season as Spartans lock horns with East of Scotland side Camelon in the Football Nation Qualifying Cup Final at Foresters Park, Tranent on Sunday.

“It was disappointing not to reach the League Cup Final last weekend because winning two pieces of silverware would’ve acted as a real confidence-booster going into next season,” he said.

“We’ve have had to put that quickly to the back of our minds, but it’s nice knowing that we’ve got a second chance to win a cup competition.

“I don’t know an awful lot about Camelon but they must be a strong outfit if they beat Bonnyrigg in the semi-final, so we’ve got to treat them with respect.

“If we were to win this trophy it would be massively important going into pre-season because we have some big warm-up games lined up and we want to hit the ground running when they come along.

He added: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Spartans so far. The move happened quite unexpectedly as I was still in the States at the time.

“Prior to me going out there I had trained with the club on a part-time basis just to maintain my fitness, so I already had some contacts and when Dougie heard I was coming home he was keen to get me signed up. I played in a bounce match against Dundee United and was delighted when they offered me a deal until the end of next season.

“The boys helped me settle in really quickly and the style of play was already something I was used to, so that made it easier to adapt.”

After representing Scotland at age-grade level from under-15s to under-17s, Scott sealed a move abroad to Europa Point in Gibraltar’s Second Division before embarking on his American adventure.

“I loved every minute of it and feel that experience has made be a better player than I was before I moved out there,” he said.

“The Uni was classed as prestigious for ‘college soccer’ – they’re typically among the top 20 in the country – so for my time to be cut short was disappointing but I don’t have regrets.

“It was completely different to British football, the pace of the game being the main one, so I learned a lot. There isn’t any youth system in place like there is in Scotland, I’d compare the standard to reserve football here.”

Scott has been impressed with the calibre of player the Lowland League is now starting to attract and believes it will continue to improve with the potential inclusion of Berwick Rangers and others.

“I spent a short time on loan at Gala Fairydean Rovers in 2016 when I was playing for Hibs’ under-20s side, so I’d played in a few games, but I would say the league has improved significantly since  then.

“Spartans will always be classed as one of the bigger teams at this level and with the facilities at Ainslie Park, the way they like to play football and their fanbase, it made signing an attractive option.”