The Hibs captain spoke to the media after graduating from Edinburgh Napier University back in October, completing a BA degree in Business and Enterprise in Sport, while also winning the class medal for outstanding performance. Here's everything he had to say... 

What was the most interesting aspect of your degree, did anything about it surprise you?

“The hardest bit was dealing with the academic side, writing, reading, referencing. You can’t really say what you think, you need to back it up with references. That was the hardest bit to adjust to. In terms of the modules, I liked a leadership one, and one on stress performance and behaviour as well, which was really interesting. There was a lot I could relate to in my job in football just now. Those were the ones I thought would relate to the coaching side of it. And then there were the modules like accounting which focused on the business side and opened my eyes to the other side of sporting organisations.

You did very well, though, by the sound of things?

“It all went well in the end, I ended up passing with a distinction, which was good. I got good grades but it did take a lot of adjusting to at the start. I probably spent a lot longer on it then as I was getting used to it and it tapered as I got more used to the reading. I left school when I was 16 but I was lucky because I was one of the younger ones so I went to school early. Even though I left, I had completed fifth year, so I had done a few Highers prior to coming in here. But 16 was the last time I did any real studying, I had done a few courses but nothing as taxing as this.

Are you pleased it's over, or has it left a vacuum to fill with other things?

“I was pleased to get to the end! I was juggling two modules at the same time because it would have meant studying for another six months. I crammed a little bit at the end, but I do have a new thirst for knowledge. I wouldn’t do a full degree again but I would like to do more courses and keep learning as I am going. I have enjoyed that focus at nights rather than sitting on the couch watching nonsense on Netflix! It’s been good to get the laptop open to do a bit of studying. I’ll try and keep it going in some form."

It's funny how the Covid period turned into a positive with this, it must've been a good stimulus?

“We were all kind-of in our houses, everyone was doing 5ks and things like that. I had been looking around for a while, trying to find a course that was suitable. One of the sports scientists in here, Steve Curnyn, had good contacts at Edinburgh Napier. Someone came in and discussed the course with me and Innes Murray, who is at Edinburgh City now. We both started at the same time. I accelerated a bit at the end so he’s still got a bit to go.

Was graduation day similar to lifting a trophy?

“Nah, it wasn’t quite at that level! But it was actually a lot bigger than I expected. I was quite oblivious to it all, I thought I was just turning up to a presentation. But it was a lot more grand and a lot more formal than I expected. My wife and my mum were there, as well, so it was nice to celebrate with family. One of the modules was performance, stress and behaviour. I learned a bit about how different people behave, and how it can affect you.

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"I really enjoyed it because you can relate it to the pressure environment of playing in football. I’m not sure if I’ll adapt the way I behave, too much, but it was nice to learn about it. There are a lot of high-pressure environments in football, playing against the top teams, and getting to the latter stages of cup competitions – it does become stressful. And obviously being at a big club like Hibs brings its own pressure, so it’s something you have to deal with.

Has it changed how you look at, and think, about the game?

“I think I now have more respect for everyone, more awareness about different roles in the club. It’s easy to just be in your own bubble as a player. But this has opened my eyes to the whole way the organisation works, from the football department out to the wider club.

"I kind-of split the course in half, with half on the coaching pathway and half on the business side. I think I want to give coaching a bash to begin with. I’m doing it one night a week in the academy. Until you practice it enough, you’ll never know if you’re any good at it – so I’ll give it a bash and see how it goes.”