NEIL LENNON said only this week that his Hibernian team could prove themselves to be the second best in Scotland.
It's a bold statement given their three year absence from the Premiership but it's one the players themselves look forward to backing up.
Jason Cummings, again nominated in the PFA Championship end of season awards, is going to be the best example of whether Lennon is talking sense.
The 21-year-old has scored goals for fun, and few have more fun in the game than this young man, for the past three seasons and it's going to be interesting to see how the striker and his team-mates cope with the step-up.
“You don’t get the same recognition when you’re in the Championship, said Cummings. "There are the critics who say you haven’t don it in the Premiership but I’ve played ten games in the Premiership. It doesn’t bother me, I don’t lose sleep over it.
"The hardest thing to do is score goals whether it’s in no-league football or wherever as scoring 20 plus goals anywhere is good.
“I know deep down that scoring 20 odd goals in the Championship is just as good as doing it in the Premiership.
“I’ve also played against a lot of Premiership teams over the last few years and there’s honestly not that big a difference. People say it’s this big step up but I believe the top four or five teams in the Championship are all more than capable of getting into the Premiership no problem so I don’t think it’ll be a problem for me or the club.
"I believe we will surprise a lot of people next season by just how well we do."
A few Rangers players have been found wanting this season. They looked good against smaller and part-times teams, not so great against more established Premiership performers.
"Of course I believe I can be at that level, it doesn’t matter where I go or what league I play in, I know that I’ll score goals," said Cummings who is not short of self-confidence. "That’s what my game’s based on and if I don’t do that then I may as well retire as that’s all I do.
"It’ll be a very fun season next coming up especially with all the big boys being back in," said Cummings.
“It’ll be the best the Premiership has looked in a while. We will have the derby against Hearts back again and there will be games against all of the other big teams so I’m looking forward to it."
But surely being best of the rest is beyond this team. No?
"Individually, with the players we have got, we are definitely capable of being the second best team in the country," said Cummings.
"We have proved that over the last few years, when we have played a good few Premiership teams in the cups and come through the majority of them. We just need to wait and see as well, though, because you never know."
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