Hibs' Kyle Magennis keeps Hampden on horizon as he plots course back from injury hell
The midfielder has endured a stop-start time at Easter Road, but feels fit and ready to stake a claim for a starting role
James DelaneyDigital Journalist
(Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)
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Kyle Magennis admits he is desperate to kick his Hibernian career into gear after an injury-hit start to his time in Leith.
The 22-year-old has not completed a full 90 minutes since January but returned to action in Tuesday's win over Alloa in the Betfred Cup after recovering from a hamstring issue.
The deadline day arrival was cheering on boyhood heroes St Mirren from his new flat in Leith on Wednesday as the Buddies dumped Rangers out of the competition a full 11 months on from his season being ended by an ACL injury at Ibrox.
The Easter Road side visit Govan on Boxing Day, one of seven games standing between Magennis and a Hampden appearance when Hibs face St Johnstone in the semi-final of the competition at the end of January.
A meeting with the Paisley outfit on Wednesday should tee up a full circle return, by which point the Hibees could be Rangers' closest challengers at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
And Magennis is keeping a starting return in his sights as he bids to break into an in-form Easter Road midfield with the visit of Dundee United to Leith this afternoon.
He said: "I'm not naive, I know that the boys are all doing well and I'm not going to come into the team and walk straight in.
"Technically, it is a very good squad. It's hard to get a good run when there are so many players doing well at the moment but it's a good challenge to have, it means the standard in training is high because everyone is trying to fight for the spot.
"We've got a busy schedule coming up so the gaffer will be rotating the squad quite a lot.
"I'm feeling fit and I'm ready to go, all I have to do is keep working as hard as I can and hopefully I can get a run in the team."
St Mirren's 3-0 Scottish Cup win over sixth-tier Broxburn Athletic almost a year ago was the last time Magennis played a full competitive match, with his season ended shortly before the game was placed in cold storage.
Rehabilitation from that ACL injury was confined to his back garden without any hands on physio assistance as lockdown put an end to any hopes of a swift return to action.
A move to join the ex-St Mirren cohort of Stevie Mallan, Paul McGinn and former boss Jack Ross at Easter Road followed in October, but 64 minutes in a goalless draw at Ross County is as close as he has come to putting in a full shift since arriving in Leith after a hamstring injury.
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But Magennis remains convinced he made the right move as he stays "focused" on a Hampden return next month.
"The ACL was a big injury and then coming back and having a hamstring problem was not ideal at all," he said.
"There were a lot of attractions to coming here. The boys are always buzzing. We're feeling confident, we're playing well and there's no reason why we can't just keep going on winning games, and seeing where that takes us.
"I'm feeling fit and the gaffer's put me back in on Tuesday there, all you can do is work your hardest and try to prevent injuries from happening again"
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