Jackson Irvine joins Hibernian FC

Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine has a new home, signing for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian FC until the end of the season. 

There he will link up with one familiar face in Australian international teammate Martin Boyle, who has represented the club since 2015. 

Irvine is no stranger to Scottish football, having worked his way through the Celtic academy as a teenager before spending time with Kilmarnock and Ross County. 

Socceroos Supporters Survey Thin Banner

From there the Melbourne-born midfielder moved to England, where he joined Burton Albion before transferring to Hull City - a club he made over 100 appearances for and was appointed captain of in early 2020. 

Having departed Hull in June 2020, Irvine is excited for a long-awaited return to club football. 

“I’m pleased to have everything sorted because as soon as I heard of Hibs’ interest, I was keen to make it happen," he told Hibernian FC. 

“No-one has to tell me what a big club this is. I saw it for myself when I was with Celtic and Ross County.

“I had a great chat with the gaffer, who outlined that this is a club that wants to be competing for silverware and qualifying for Europe. Why wouldn’t you want to be part of that?

“I’ve missed playing so I’m hoping to be involved as soon as possible. I’ll work as hard as I can in training and hopefully give the staff something to think about.”

Irvine extended his gratitude to Socceroos legend Harry Kewell, who recently invited him to train with Oldham in order to maintain fitness levels during a tough time. 

"It’s not been easy. I’ve had to be patient and it’s been one of the most challenging periods in my career," he said.

"I think it’s important to have a sense of perspective and I realise that there are a lot of people in the world who have suffered much greater hardships in the last few months.

"It’s just the longest I’ve gone without playing and I’m keen to make up for lost time and get back to doing what I love. That means being part of a successful team and enjoying my football again.

"I owe a massive ‘thank you’ to Harry Kewell, the staff and players at Oldham who let me train in there to top up my fitness levels.

"You can only do so much on your own and nothing compares to being in with the group. I think that’s what I’ve enjoyed the most from my first few hours at Hibs." 

Jackson Irvine N'Golo Kante

Interestingly, Irvine revealed that Martin Boyle did not play a part in the move. 

"Believe it or not, I didn’t speak to him at all," he said.

"I don’t think he even knew I was coming in. There’s always so much to get over the line with transfers now that I wanted to keep it to myself until everything was sorted.

"But he knows what I think of him. He’s a fantastic type. A brilliant personality in the dressing room and a fantastic player on top of that. I played in his debut for Australia and I’m looking forward to seeing him back in the international fold after he had a rough time of it with injury.

"He’ll be welcomed back into the camp."

Hibs next face Irvine's former club Kilmarnock in Scottish Premiership action on Saturday.

The Socceroo will be eager to build some momentum at club level ahead of Australia's scheduled World Cup Qualifiers in March. 

Visit page
This article was originally published on the Socceroos website.
Close