Hibs ace Owen Elding in 'a lot more' vow as striker chases goals and Ireland honours in first full SPFL season
Citizenship ceremony with dad Anthony sealed nationality deal for striker
The oath of citizenship was completed amid no little pomp and ceremony, the paperwork required to become a full senior international footballer duly signed, sealed and – postal service pending – delivered. Another couple of hurdles cleared for Owen Elding, a player who makes a habit of taking things in his stride.
When he talks about taking a giant leap in his first full season of Scottish football, then, Hibs fans will be more than encouraged. They’ll be inclined to take the youngster at his word.
Signed late in the January window from Sligo Rovers, amid much interest from English Premier League clubs looking to add the forward to their development programmes, Elding – still a teenager when he arrived – was something of an instant hit at Easter Road. Yet he’s absolutely adamant that there is much more to come, now that he’s built himself a foundation in Scotland’s elite division.
January signing found form quickly
The 20-year-old, asked what fans might expect to see from him in year two, said simply: “A lot more than what I showed. Obviously, I think coming in we would have spoken about the second half of the season being a bit of a settling in period for me.
“I feel like I'm settled in now, ready to go. I'm buzzing to get back on the pitch, obviously training this morning, get back on the pitch with the lads. So yeah, there's a lot more to come.
“I think I need to add a few more goals. Obviously that's what gets you recognised and that's what turns the international manager's head as well.”
Elding, who played in away wins over Celtic and Rangers during an eye-catching introduction to the Scottish game, was bouncing – and jumping into an ice bath, at one point – on day one of his pre-season programme as Hibs settled into their spectacular training base just outside of Dublin. If not quite a homecoming, he’s at least within easy travelling distance for his family.
Admitting he’d found aspects of his first half-season in Scotland more tricky than expected, he said: “Yeah, I feel like I've got three goals towards the end of last season. Obviously pre-season under my belt now, I feel like I can kick on.
“It was tough obviously going away to Celtic, away at Ibrox, getting two wins there as well. Obviously that settling in period gave me a taste of what everyone was about. So now I feel like I know what to expect now; I’ll only benefit from that.”
Born in England but raised in Ireland, his family moving across when dad Anthony signed for Sligo, Elding was the subject of an international tug-of-war earlier this year, with the English dangling under-21 honours under his nose in the hopes of winning a commitment. He wouldn’t be swayed from his commitment to the country he called home for those formative years.
Formal confirmation of nationality
Revealing that he’d travelled to Kerry to finalise his citizenship last week, Elding – who was included in the Irish international squad for the summer internationals, despite not being eligible to play – said: “Last week I was at the ceremony for the citizenship, so that's all done now. Yeah, we're getting there. I think I've just got to wait for the certificate to come now and then just wait for the passport, so it's all done now.
“We went down to Kerry, I think it was only about an hour, an hour and a half in there, so nice and quick. Just buzzing to get it done and hopefully soon get the passport done and be involved.
“Just me and dad went down to Kerry. There was a lot of waiting around. We were put into a room just to wait, just check in, and then we got moved into another room and then we all went into the big ceremony hall and just watched a few band plays and then said the words, obviously, to get the citizenship. Yeah, that was that.
“There's a lot of people there, a lot of them from different places or whatever, so obviously they're there for different reasons .Obviously, mine is to get the passport so I can play for the nation and hopefully represent them.”
Elding hopes to be “in contention” for selection by the time the September international break comes around. Within football, the chat is that Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson and his coaching staff were blown away by the kid’s attitude, aptitude and willingness to get stuck in from day one of his involvement on the international scene.
That’s a recurring theme with this youngster, who made a similar impact on his arrival at Hibs. He’s a man in a hurry, clearly.
“When I came in (to Hibs) I said I wanted to hit the ground running straight away,” he explained. “I think that's not just only on a match day, it all comes with how you train, how you approach the sessions and how you are around the place.
“With the international thing, I've just got to focus on what I'm doing, training with Hibs, and then when the squad announcements come around, hopefully my name is on the list. Because it was an unbelievable experience, being involved.
“I think it's a bit different for me, a different approach to the camp. Obviously, not being able to play the game, but I think it was a chance for me to impress the manager and the staff and show them what I can do - and hopefully I can be involved in future camps.
“I'm happy with how I trained, how I approached the camp and obviously learning off all the big names in there, Seamus Coleman and all them, so it's only going to benefit me going forward.
“I think part of the battle is you believe in you, believe you belong there. Obviously, like I said, I want to get a good pre-season in me now. Ready to kick on this season - and hopefully I can be involved more.”
Anthony Elding scored a winning goal for Sligo in a cup final at the Aviva Stadium. As his boy knows only too well. The prospect of gracing the same turf as his old man is obviously something of a motivator for young Owen.
“Yeah, I've seen that too many times,” he said, laughing when asked if he’d been forced to watch the famous goal on video. “I think I was just seven, I don't really remember much of it. Obviously, like I said, I've seen the video too many times, so yeah, it seemed to be a good day for the club.
“Yeah, exactly, it’s funny how things could work out. Obviously he moved over to sign for Sligo, so we've been over here ever since.
“So obviously this is all I know, like I said. So yeah, to finally get the passport done and hopefully represent the country will be special.”