Ex-Hibs stalwart Paul Hanlon happy to be renewing old acquaintances at Raith Rovers

Hanlon, 34, arrives at Kirkcaldy’s Stark’s Park after 16 years as a senior at Scottish Premiership outfit Hibernian, overlapping with Murray’s second spell there from 2008 to 2012, and it’s been good to be reunited with the 43-year-old, he says.

“He was one of the experienced players at Hibs when I was coming through and even before that, when I was a fan growing up, he was one of my idols, watching him playing, so it’s nice to see him again and catch up,” the once-capped Scottish international told Raith TV.

“He’s in a different role now to what it was before but I’d been looking forward to working with him all the same.”

Murray isn’t the only familar face from Edinburgh’s Easter Road now at Stark’s Park, left-back Lewis Stevenson having arrived at the end of May, goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski being about to start his second season with the Fifers and technical director John Potter having been assistant to then Hibs manager Jack Ross from November 2019 to December 2021, and Hanlon is glad to be renewing old acquaintances.

“I was at Hibs for a long period of time, and this is a new challenge for me now that I’m really looking forward to,” he said.

“It obviously helps having a few lads in the dressing room that I already knew from playing with.

“Scottish football’s a kind of goldfish bowl and you meet a lot of boys along the way, and there are plenty of boys in there that I know.

“With the manager and Pottsy as well, I had a few conversations.

“Obviously I’d had a long career at Hibs so I had to take my time and sit back and see what I had in terms of options, but right from the start, Pottsy was on the phone relentlessly.

“I’d had a good relationship with him at Hibs as well previously, when he was Jack Ross’s assistant, so I knew him really well and I’d kept in touch over the years, so it just got to a stage when I was ready to make a decision and Raith Rovers were where I chose.

“Looking at the club from the outside, I just felt like it’d be a great environment to be involved in. They looked like they’d got a good, close-knit squad, and I thought it’d be enjoyable coming in here every day and working hard and that’s how it’s proved to be.”