Gary Deegan, the Hibernian midfielder, has spoken of his contrition over the incident which led to his suspension by his former club, Coventry City, for an apparently pro-IRA tweet.
The Easter Road signing, due to make his debut in this lunchtime's Edinburgh derby, tweeted the phrase "up the Ra" to his then Coventry and now Hibs team-mate James McPake when he was called up to the Northern Irish squad this summer, a remark the midlands club took a dim view of. The 24-year-old, who has signed a one-year contract, last night reiterated his apology for the comment, which he saw as banter between pals, and insists he won't repeat the mistake.
Please enable cookies in your browser to display the rest of this article.