ANTHONY Stokes and Hibernian was always going to be decent fit. With Neil Lennon as manager it could end up being perfect.
The 29-year-old striker couldn’t sue if you described his life as having been wayward in the past.
The off -field stuff has been blown out of proportion. In truth, it’s been the inconsistency with the day job which has been the biggest frustration.
On his day, Stokes is one hell of a footballer. The problem is he can go weeks without kicking a ball.
Lennon got the best out of the Irishman during their time together at Celtic and the hope, for both men, is that chemistry still exists now they have been reunited at Easter Road.
“I’m delighted to be back, everything just fits,” said a smiling Stokes who has signed a two-year deal. “I know the club inside out, I know all of the players, the manager and the staff.
“Neil was a vital part of my decision. I probably played the most consistent football of my career under him. I played week-in, week-out and he knows my strengths.
“He knows my weaknesses as well and I’m sure he’ll be able to get the best out of me.
“I kept in touch with the gaffer even when he left Celtic. Garry Parker too. I got on so well with them and had a really good relationship when I was there. It obviously took a while to get sorted, and get the contract sorted. I had to weigh up my options and I told the gaffer straight that I was considering going abroad
“But, for my football career and desire to get back on track, everything about joining His was the perfect fit for this time in my life.”
Stokes’s last game for Hibs came in the Scottish Cup Final of 14 months ago when he scored twice in a man of the match performance against Rangers.
If Lennon can get through to the player, whose time at Blackburn Rovers last season did not go well, then Hibs have themselves a bona fide match winner.
“I need to be consistent,” admitted Stokes. “I need to score goals, push for the top four and do as well as I can.
“There has been a winning mentality at this club in the last two years, getting the Scottish Cup and winning the league last season, and the gaffer has that mentality from when he played. He pushes that into the players. He won’t let the standards slip this season.”
And what of that day in May 2016 when Stokes ran the Ranger defence, in particular James Tavernier, utterly ragged?
“For me, Celtic has always been my club and it always will be,” said Stokes. “I think winning the first league title with Celtic was probably the biggest thing I have done in my career; it was probably the happiest day of my life.
“But that [Hibs win] did surpass it in the end. I think it was just the scenes at the end – and even the next day with the parade, I’ve never experienced anything like that in football before. For me, that probably did top things – and I never thought that would be the case.”
Hibs could well be one of the stories of this season given the dressing room Lennon has put together.
“We have a good core of players from before who have that winning mentality from the Championship,”said Stokes.
‘It is a tough, tough league to play in and I found it harder to play in the Championship than I did in the Premiership.
“It builds a winning mentality and the gaffer is like that and there won’t be any let up.”
Stokes will be in the squad for the season curtain raises against Partick Thistle at Easter Road having spent much of the summer wondering what his next move would be.
“I haven’t kicked a ball for a long time,” he said. “I have been training with a personal trainer for the past few weeks. I trained with the guys and I was a lot better than I thought I would be.
“I was actually surprised. I am not a million miles off it. I just need game time and general sharpness.”
What Stokes needs most is a manager who knows how he ticks.
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