Chris Cadden out to make up for lost time as he eyes gruelling Hibs schedule with relish

Squad rotation, as much as this quality-over-quantity Hibs squad can provide, will most certainly be required over the next five weeks as the Easter Road side face a gruelling fixture schedule.

Starting with tonight’s rearranged match against Ross County at Dingwall, they will play nine games in the space of the next 28 days, including the Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic.

Manager Jack Ross has hit out at the SPFL over the pile-up, revealing there will be players within his squad who likely won’t see the training pitch for a sustained period as he aims to keep them in peak physical condition.

This will ultimately lead to a chopping and changing of the starting XI from midweek to weekend, as fresh legs will be sought to keep the momentum going.

Chris Cadden is looking forward to a busy period for Hibs, giving him a chance to get plenty of game time after suffering through injury problems earlier in 2021

However, versatile right-sided ace Chris Cadden is relishing the opportunity to tackle this backlog and wants to be selected in each and every contest after suffering through injury problems earlier in 2021.

"No, I’m ready to go in every one. As many as the gaffer will put me in for,” said Cadden, who missed last season’s Scottish Cup final due to a hairline fracture.

"I feel great. I feel probably the best I’ve felt fitness-wise since I’ve come here. I’ve worked hard coming back.

"It was a frustrating time for me. I came here and played a good stretch of games when I arrived in January then I had that chunk out which was a nightmare. To get as many games in as possible would be great. I feel good and raring to go.”

Chris Cadden, right, celebrates with Martin Boyle after scoring a hat-trick against Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final. Picture: SNS

The 25-year-old was immense in the 3-1 semi-final victory over Rangers, roaring down the right flank from the wing-back spot all game long.

Even though Cadden has previously tasted Hampden success in semi-finals during his time with Motherwell, he does admit there was something extra special about Sunday’s triumph.

"It’s right up there,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to have some really good days in my career. I don’t know what it was about Sunday, it was just different. The fans, the atmosphere, was brilliant and even after it, it was great. It’s something we’re going to look back on for a while.”

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