Hibs goalie stunned by mum's social media love-in with fans as former Forest keeper shines in Scotland

Call it an unexpected windfall of life as a Hibs player. A family bonus, if you like, previously enjoyed by parents of progeny lucky enough to become Easter Road favourites.

Jordan Smith’s mum, Carol, is currently loving her social media interactions with supporters, actively engaging in chats and thanking fans when they praise her little boy for bringing stability to the Hibs back line. Her son is surprised by this development. But absolutely delighted by it.

Asked if Carol had always been the mother beaming with pride on the sidelines, Smith laughed as he said: “Yeah, she certainly has, yeah. She’s a very proud mum.

“I remember being under-11 and getting injured. I think she got to me before the physio did!

“It can be a little bit embarrassing at times. But being a parent myself now and having two kids who I'm very proud of, I totally understand it.

“You just want the best for them in whatever it is that they do. Luckily, it’s going really well for me at the minute, so we’re all really happy.

“No, she's not been to a game yet. She keeps tapping me up. I'm going to have to make sure she gets up.

“Logistically, it's a little bit difficult but we'll make sure she comes up and enjoys the time. But I think the fans wouldn't let me off the hook if she didn't get a lap of honour at this point!

Thank you to fans

“I speak about family with nothing but pride and my mum's certainly a part of that. I told her to knock it on the head a couple of times and I think that spurred her on to doing more. Rather than reply to the majority, I think she tries to reply to all.

“But it's nice. It's great at the minute because things are going well. It would be interesting to see if it turns, if things weren't going quite so well.

“I’d just say it’s a thank you to the Hibs fans and the community for taking to me the way that they have done. It’s also great the way they’ve included my family the way they have done.

“There probably was a little bit of a risk coming up here. The fact that my mum feels such a part of it, but being a long way from me is really nice.

“And I'm not going to tell her to stop anymore. Because I think it's got to the point now where if she stopped replying, there'd probably be an outcry.”

Pending Carol’s state visit to represent the town of Mansfield, Hibs fans will be happy to make do with Jordan for the moment. Since replacing the genuinely luckless Josef Bursik, a No. 1 keeper whose confidence was shot by the time he was dropped, the veteran back-up has been solidly dependable.

Smith, full of admiration for what local rival Craig Gordon is still doing at the age of 42, says he’s been given a new lease of life since making the frankly unexpected move to the Scottish Premiership. Not a destination that had ever featured on his radar as the former Nottingham Forest keeper -a promotion play-off winner in his time at the City Ground - bounced around a series of loan spells down south.

On Gordon’s longevity, the 30-year-old said: “Yes, what he's done in the game is nothing short of fantastic. Whether he's playing for the rival team or not, you can't dispute that.

“I just want to play games for as long as possible. I really do. I think with not having played so many games in the early part of my career, I'd like to think that's not taken its toll on my body.

“I’m no spring chicken being 30, but I'm certainly by no means past it. I'd like to think I've got longevity in there.

“The highs are really high at the moment, and you feel like you're going to go until you’re 50. I think that's something my wife would enjoy — keep me out of the house.

“Honestly, the experience here has been above and beyond, and I don't mean this disrespectfully, but it's probably not necessarily something that I looked out for, being in the English divisions. However, I’ve been blown away by the standard of the games, the turnouts at the games, the atmosphere.

“It has all superseded my expectations. I'm delighted with how it’s worked out and that I made the decision to come here and play at such an elite level.

“Absolutely, it’s been the most enjoyable time of my career. There's no hiding that I've not played an awful lot of games in my career, but as I touched on previously, I wanted to make sure I stayed around what I call an elite environment.

“Coming through the academy system in England, your blinkers are on, and this is the only way. It wasn't really something that I'd necessarily thought of.

“It’s not to say expectations were low, I just didn’t know what to expect. But I found the atmospheres and the professionalism, the way that everything's done.

“You almost get to that point of, I don't want to call it scrambling around in League Two or Conference, because that's obviously a good level within its own right. But I think if that's the kind of level you're looking at, and you've got an opportunity to come up here, I'd certainly say come and do it.

“I’ve not been in the team an awful long time, but I can certainly say that it has boosted my credentials and boosted my reputation. That's certainly not something I think I would have got back down the road.

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“I’ve made a real go of it up here and, luckily, I’m backed really well by the family. We bought a house up here, we’ve made a real go of it, and I've been welcomed with open arms.”

On the prospect of staying on beyond the end of next season, when his contract expires, Smith admitted: “Honestly, I’ve stopped trying to predict what happens in football. I’ve tried to do that a few times, and it always goes the way you never think it's going to.

“We’re taking it week by week, game by game. It’s really hard to look past that because ultimately, you’re only judged on your last performance.

“Of course, you’d love to stay here longer and know that you've got that security, but the only way you do that is by keeping on producing. That's what I'm looking to do.

“As I said, I’m not going to make any secret that this is the most enjoyable moment of my career. I want that to be the case moving forward. The only way to make sure that’s going to happen is to keep playing well.”

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