New Hibs man sets his Easter Road stall out after baptism of fire as he vows not to be content with squad role
The goalkeeper joined the club this summer.
Jordan Smith has his eyes on becoming a Hibs regular - but he’ll support Josef Bursik no matter the outcome of that quest.
The goalkeeper made his competitive debut for David Gray’s side during a 1-0 Premier Sports Cup group stage loss to Kelty Hearts on Saturday, with Peterhead coming to Easter Road on Saturday with this stage in the competition concluding. Hibs need a win to ensure progress to the last 16.
For Smith, he is continuing to adapt to life in Leith after signing following a spell at Stockport County. The 29-year-old featured for 45 minutes in the midweek training exercise vs Watford and while it’s been all systems go since moving north, he has loved life at Hibs so far.
Smith said: “Yeah, loving it to be fair. It's a quick turnaround. That's the best way to go about it I think. I think I've had as many games as training sessions to be honest with you. Obviously there's more work to do but really enjoying it. Just got to try and find a result to match because I've played twice and we've lost in both games so far. So that needs turning round sharpish.
“You quickly find out where you are. I mean, I like to think I'm a good pro and look after myself during the off-season. The move came around a bit later than I would have liked but that is what it is. Nothing I can do to control that. So as soon as the call came to get myself up here, I made sure I did and hit the ground running. Fortunately enough, the manager was confident and believed in me to put me in.”
The size of the club was a huge pull in bringing Smith to Hibs. There’s a Nottingham Forest connection through Riley Harbottle and featuring against Bursik, who’s signed between the sticks on loan from Club Brugge, gives him some more scope of the quality he is coming into.
He said: “I mean, honestly, the city speaks for itself and the size of the club. It's really hard to try and find a level. It's not really comparable to what it is down south but the Scottish Premiership is a top league. You've got the big boys in here, of course you have, but Hibs deserve to be fighting right around there.
“Obviously that's not gone the way that we've wanted it to, certainly judging by the fans' expectations who are very passionate and so rightly hold players accountable. So, the opportunity to come into such an amazing city and, as I say, an amazing club with the facilities and the stadium to match it, it was honestly a no-brainer.
“As soon as it came about, I realised Riley Harbottle, obviously there's a connection there from Nottingham Forest. Joe Bursic, I managed to play against him a couple of times when he was at Stoke before he moved to Belgium. So, as you say, it's a really small world and even through connections of other goalkeeping coaches, Craig Samson (goalkeeping coach) was keen to meet me and put me to work. He certainly put me through my paces, so it's like he'd known me an awful long time.”
Now attention turns to rivalling Bursic for the number one spot, following David Marshall’s retirement and Smith says he’ll be a pillar of support even if he won’t be fully satisfied with a squad role. He added: “I just think the best thing for everybody is that we all want to play and we're all confident and able enough to play. I think that's going to bring out the best in all of us because you know that if you've got the shirt, you've got to be the best version of yourself every single time.
“I think it's the greatest position on the football field, but also it's the most under the spotlight. So, like I say, of course we're going to push each other. I don't think anyone should just be content with sitting on the bench. But as I say, ultimately, if Joe does win the shirt, I'll back him 100% and push him all the way to make sure that the Hibs fans see the best version of him all the time.”