Liam Fontaine: We can create Anfield boot room at Hibs

The defender is just one of five Hibs players who have been undergoing their UEFA B licence, joined in his studies by club captain David Gray, Paul Hanlon, Darren McGregor and Lewis Stevenson as they look to their long-term futures.

And having been in at the start of the Capital outfit’s recent renaissance, Fontaine revealed they’d all love to help driving the club forward.

While Stevenson and Hanlon have been long-term fixtures and McGregor is a life-long Hibs fan, Fontaine believes both he and Gray now have such a strong affinity with Hibs they want to hang around when it comes to hanging up their boots.

“You never know,” he replied, when asked if he could see a Liverpool-style boot room, that famous Anfield institution which produced legendary managers such as Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Roy Evans who brought huge success to Merseyside.

“We are playing here at a time when, in my opinion, the club is on the rise and as the years tick off on your career you want to stay part of that development.

“We know what the gaffer and the club are building so why not keep it in house if you can. We all have a connection to the club and want the best for Hibs, so you never know what might happen.”

Fontaine probably had more time on his hands than his team-mates in starting his coaching badges, the 32-year-old having spent the past ten months sidelined after picking up two serious ankle injuries which limited him to just a couple of Betfred Cup matches at the beginning of the season.

“It was a terrible 2017 for me,” he admitted. “It was a freak accident when I was initially injured. I wasn’t even involved in a tackle, I was shadowing the ball out when the boy behind me was tackled and fell on my leg.”

The upshot was a cartilage being torn from the bone, Fontaine nearing peak fitness again when he suffered almost exactly the same injury in his other ankle as he fine-tuned his sharpness in a game for the Hibs development squad.

However, that time was put to good use. He said: “I was just getting myself back when it happened again. It’s hard to deal with at times,  but you have to do it as a footballer.

“It was very frustrating watching, but doing my B licence I was able to look at matches in a different way and learn a lot about the game because it was all I could do.

“Rather than beat myself up – which is what you can do quite easily – you have to try to find things that keep you positive.”

Fontaine is well aware that he only has a few months remaining on his contract but he’s determined to push his way back into boss Neil Lennon’s plans with the aim of winning himself a new deal.

The former Bristol City player said: “I’ve been back for a little bit now and played in a development game a few weeks ago and got through that fine but obviously we had a run of games through December.

“In the Algarve last week we were asked to do double sessions every day which, on a personal level, was good. It helped my fitness and I feel good.

“The gaffer has always said it’s a squad game. We have a great squad and the boys have been doing very well. You want to play, but all you can to is put a bit of pressure on, a bit of competition. That’s healthy.

“You never know what is going to happen. You see Dave pick up that injury in Portugal unfortunately. It’s not ideal, but that’s the reason you have a squad.

“Hopefully I can be like a new player in the second half of the season. I want to get back into the team, get a run of games and show what I can do. I’m going to work hard and  hope to earn a longer stay at Hibs which I’d love to do.”

Fontaine was fit for the last Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle but didn’t make the 18 who stripped for the game, watching instead from a vantage point behind the away dug-out, admitting he was more than a touch envious of those playing.

Now, though, he has eyes on being more involved as Lennon takes his side back across the city for Sunday’s Scottish Cup clash with the Jambos at a venue which, Fontaine agreed, has become a happy hunting ground for Hibs in recent years..

Hibs will pitch up in Gorgie looking to extend a run of nine matches unbeaten against their arch-rivals having knocked them out of the cup in each of the previous two seasons, both times taking a draw at Tynecastle before completing the job on their own turf, the first occasion famously leading to that historic victory over Rangers at Ibrox.

However, as Fontaine pointed out, he and his team-mates have done well at Tynecastle not just against Hearts.

He said: “We’ve had a good runs in the cups in recent years.

“We beat St Johnstone there in the semi-final of the League Cup and then started our cup run last season by beating Bonnyrigg Rose at Tynecastle. Hopefully we can keep that run going.

“It’s a great atmosphere to play in with the stands being so close to the pitch although these games are always good no matter where they are played.

“Everyone is always up for them, players and fans alike. They are great occasions.”