Stokes and Cummings backed to bag goals in Hibs run-in

Jason Cummings, left, and Anthony Stokes have both recently ended seven-game scoring droughts

The highly-regarded pair had come under scrutiny after struggling to find the net as the team’s Championship title hopes fell apart and the League Cup final was lost to Ross County last month. However, Stokes returned to scoring form with three goals in two games for Hibs before the international break while Cummings got back on track when hitting a double for Scotland Under-21s against Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

Lewis Stevenson, the Easter Road left-back, now expects the duo to ignite together and provide Hibs with some much-needed spark in attack as they begin a gruelling run of nine games this month away to St Mirren today. “Jason was scoring earlier in the season and Stokesy’s been scoring recently so when they both start scoring at the same time for us it’s going to be tough for our opponents,” said Stevenson.

“They’re both quality players. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time to gel.

“They’ve been linking up well and individually they’re both great players, so it won’t be long before they’re both bouncing off each other. For me, it’s only a matter of time.”

Stevenson was thrilled at learning of Cummings’ midweek double after the 20-year-old had been the subject of criticism in quarters despite being out on his own as his club’s top scorer this season.

“I heard Jason was getting a bit of stick after the first Under-21 game so I’m glad he bounced back with a couple of goals,” said the defender. “He’s a player that thrives on confidence. His performances haven’t been that bad – he just hadn’t been scoring as many goals as he would have liked. I’m glad he’s got on the scoresheet again, so hopefully he can do the same for Hibs. He’ll be a massive player for us between now and the end of the season.”