Dylan Tait will begin training with Hibernian this week — and reckons Raith Rovers will reap the rewards.
The all-action midfielder joined the capital club in a six-figure deal on deadline day but was immediately loaned back to Stark’s Park until January, where he has continued to excel.
However, the next step in Tait’s transition to becoming a full-time Hibee happens this morning (Monday) when he reports to their East Lothian training base.
From now until January, the 19-year-old will spend the early part of the week working with Jack Ross’ squad.
Dylan Tait has signed for Hibernian from Raith Rovers 📝
The highly-rated Scottish youngster will rejoin the Championship side until January – subject to paperwork approval from the SFA.
Welcome to Hibs, Dylan! 🟢⚪️
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) September 1, 2021
He will then return to Kirkcaldy to take part in John McGlynn’s pre-match preparations.
“I spoke to the gaffer at Hibs [Ross] and he just wants me to go in and do my thing, work hard and impress them,” said Tait.
“Then, when I go there in January, I can fight to get in the Hibs team.
“As of this week, I’m going in Monday and Tuesday with Hibs and then training here [Raith Rovers] on Thursday and Friday.
“From Monday onwards I will feel more like an actual Hibs player, rather than just on loan — because I’ve not really been there much.”
Focus
While Tait may split his time between both clubs, his sole focus is on ensuring Rovers maintain their burgeoning momentum.
The Kirkcaldy club have racked up 10 points from their last four Championship fixtures and breezed into the last-eight of the SPFL Trust Trophy with a 3-1 win over East Fife on Saturday.
And he firmly believes the challenge of working with the likes of Kevin Nisbet, Martin Boyle and Josh Doig can only make him a more effective player for the Rovers in the coming weeks.
“Training with Premiership players at Hibs, who are third in the Premiership and maybe play at a faster speed and are more physical; that should really help me with Raith,” continued Tait.
“So, I’m really looking forward to getting in there — although Raith Rovers are still my main focus.
“We’re doing really well in the league and we have a big game coming up against Arbroath on Saturday.”
‘Annoying’ drought ends
Rovers can approach that clash with the Lichties in fine fettle after seeing off East Fife on Saturday.
Tait notched the opening goal for the hosts — his first of the campaign — before Scott Mercer levelled.
Our memory card footage of Aidan's goal was a bit crackled so here are all the goals from yesterday's game as they happened during the stream. John's post match interview and full highlights are available on our YouTube channel now.https://t.co/3rhla4HULF pic.twitter.com/R91YZXONlF
— RaithTV (@RaithTV) October 10, 2021
But a wonderful Aidan Connolly free-kick and Matej Poplatnik’s third strike in two outings secured progression to a quarter-final against Inverness.
“Last year I scored two, so I’m one away already,” laughed Tait.
“It’s annoying when you’ve not scored after 15 games. I’ve had chances and keepers have been making good saves.
“It’s frustrating because you don’t know what else you can actually do.
“But I get a chance pretty much every game. It’s more worrying if you aren’t getting into those areas. If I’m getting in there, it’s just about keeping cool and trying to put the ball in the net.”
