Junior Hoilett remembers heading to the Emirates to face Arsenal as a raw teenager with Blackburn and being gripped by nerves. It was only his sixth top team game after breaking into Sam Allardyce’s side and the then 19-year-old had little idea of the career that was just about to unfold after that 6-2 thrashing.
Fast forward 15 years and the man who has made almost 200 Premier League appearances and starred at a World Cup for Canada still gets butterflies at the prospect of running out in front of 50,000 punters. But as he prepares for his first ever taste of Ibrox tomorrow the Hibs new boy insists those nerves are no longer a weakness – but a source of strength.
That’s what he learned from rubbing shoulders with wise old heads such as Jason Roberts, Benni McCarthy and El-Hadji Diouf in his early days at Rovers. Now – with Ibrox set to be packed for the first time this season after renovation work was finally completed – he hopes to pass that experience on to the younger members of David Gray’s squad.
The 34-year-old winger said: “Playing against Rangers, especially at Ibrox, is appealing to everybody. You want to be playing at the highest level and test your ability. It’s exciting to be a part of that. Of course you still get nerves, but I know how to channel it and use it to my strength now.
“If you don’t get nervous that means you don’t have the passion for the game, so I think nerves is a good thing. I remember when I was going to the Emirates for the first time, I was nervous as hell. But as a young player that’s how you learn and progress.
“So I like to pass on my knowledge to the young players to help them when they go into these environments, know how to settle their nerves and keep playing to their game and playing to their strengths.
“At Blackburn I had the likes of Jason Roberts, Benni McCarthy, El-Hadji Diouf, David Dunn, that helped me not only on the field as well as off the field. I was lucky to have them around me to pick their brains and get knowledge about the game and what could help me progress as a player
“I’m a calm character on and off the field and I think that’s what I can bring to the team. To help settle the game in moments. That’s just my style of play, to see the bigger picture and use my experience as well.”
Hoilett could be part of a double-pronged ex-EPL forward line for Hibs as they look for a first win over Rangers in 10 attempts. Former Newcastle and Crystal Palace ace Dwight Gayle is in line for a debut after joining earlier in the month. And Hoilett reckons the duo’s Premier League experience can help push Hibs onto a new level.
He said: “Every time I played against Dwight he was a threat, not only on the ball but off the ball when he was making those dangerous runs. Anything in the penalty box, he’s sharp and he always has an eye for the goal.
“I’m excited for what he can bring to the team and I’m sure he’s going to achieve what he wants to achieve here. I think it’s good for the club and for the fans to have experienced players like us to help the team progress.
“Hopefully we can not only achieve that, but also help the youngsters coming through to help push the team and the club into the right way.
“We have a talented squad here, great staff, great manager. We had a rough start to the season but we’re going to put that behind us and take each game in our stride to get to three points and progress.”