Jake Grech is relishing the prospect of playing a key role for his new club Hibernians after the young midfielder enjoyed an excellent debut in his team’s 1-0 BOV Premier League win over Floriana in Corradino on Saturday.

The 21-year-old midfielder caught the headlines late last month when he left Birkirkara to join Hibernians in a swap deal that also saw Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg join the Stripes.

On Saturday, Grech made his much-awaited debut for the Paolites and the talented midfielder took little time to settle in his new environment as he played a starring role which was highlighted when he engineered the move that set up Jurgen Degabriele to score the all-important goal that handed the Paolites a crucial victory.

Contacted by the Times of Malta yesterday, Grech could not hide his excitement after his impressive first-showing in the Hibernians colours.

“I am really happy with my performance on my debut with Hibernians,” Grech told the Times of Malta.

“It was a very difficult match as we were up against a very strong side. Floriana may be passing through a very tough season but they still remain a very competitive side. They boast a very good coach who has managed to improve them from a tactical point of view and that showed on Saturday as they made it very difficult for us.

“Personally, I’m really satisfied with my performance as I helped the team to bag three important points that keeps us in the running for the league title.”

At Hibernians, Grech has re-united with several players who he shared the pitch both with the Malta U-21 national team, namely Dunstan Vella, Jurgen Degabriele and Joseph Mbong, and the senior national team, such as Bjorn Kristensen and Andrei Agius.

Such old acquaintances has made life easier for Grech at Hibs.

“Having so many players here that I played alongside with the Malta U-21 national team and most recently the senior national team has been a big plus for me on my arrival at the club,” Grech said.

“But to be sincere all the players in the squad made me feel welcome right from day one. I am really happy to have joined a prestigious club like Hibernians and I look forward to help them reach their objectives.”

Asked on the reasons why he opted to leave Birkirkara to join Hibernians, Grech said that he had no personal issues with his former club and emphasised that he decided to join the Paola club as he feels that the move would help him improve more as a player.

I feel that I can become a better player at Hibs

“I have read a lot of reports that said that I left Birkirkara because I was not given enough playing time but that is completely untrue,” the former Ħamrun Spartans midfielder said.

“Actually, if you analyse my numbers in the 18 months I spent there I was the Maltese player that capped most appearances and managed to score most goals, 19, during his time at the club.

“I had no problems with the Birkirkara administration. It was just that I didn’t share their same vision for the future. I feel that at Hibs I can become a better player.”

The early indications seem to be proving Grech right, as the former Malta U-21 international has already shown great chemistry with his new team-mates, particularly Jurgen Degabriele who netted the winner after a fine pass from Grech.

“It’s true that I really find it very easy to play with Jurgen Degabriele,” Grech said.

“It’s no secret that we have a great relationship off the pitch and that helps us a lot when we play together. Added to that, we have played for many years together with the youth national teams and we nurtured a great understanding.

“Hopefully we can further improve our partnership so we can help the club in what is turning out to be a very tight season.”

Title challenge

Saturday’s win over Floriana has further cemented Hibs’ position as one of the main challengers for the league title alongside Valletta after they managed to increase the gap on third-placed Gżira United to three points last weekend.

However, Grech is not looking too far ahead and said that at the moment they are just focused on taking a game-by-game approach and see where they will be in the latter stages of the championship.

“At the moment, we are not giving too much importance on our position in the standings and we are just focused on taking it one game at a time,” Grech said.

“Obviously, it would be great if come the end of the season I would have the opportunity to help Hibernians win the league championship. But I still think that these are early days.

“Our main focus is to concentrate on our next match and try to win it.”