Hibernian winger Junior Hoilett insists he wants to contribute on the pitch as well as helping to bring on some of the talented youngsters at Easter Road, as he revealed which players had helped him when he was cutting his teeth in England following his move from Canada. 

The 34-year-old signed a one-year deal with Hibs in the summer after impressing head coach David Gray during a successful stint in the Scottish Premiership with Aberdeen last season, but injury prevented him from making his debut until the 2-0 victory over St Johnstone earlier this month. 

Speaking ahead of his first trip to Ibrox, with Hibs travelling to Rangers on Sunday for a midday kick-off, Hoilett insisted that while large and imposing arenas no longer overawed him, he still retained nerves before big games. 

"I remember when I was going to the Emirates for the first time I was nervous as hell, but as a young player that's how you learn and progress, so for me, I like to pass on my knowledge to the young players of today to help them when they go into these environments, so they know how to settle their nerves and keep playing to their game and playing to their strengths," he said. 

"Of course you still get nerves, but I know how to channel it and use it to my strength now. If you don't get nervous, I think that means you don't have a passion for the game, so I think nerves are a good thing now."

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Hoilett - one of two elder statesmen in the Easter Road first-team squad alongside Dwight Gayle - joined Blackburn Rovers in 2003 as a 13-year-old, and remained at Ewood Park until 2012. While he was learning the ropes in Lancashire, he could count upon support from more senior team-mates - and wants to give something back now he is in their position. 

"When I was at Blackburn I had the likes of Jason Roberts, Benni McCarthy, El-Hadji Diouf, and David Dunn, who helped me not only on the field but off the field as well. I was lucky to have them around me to pick their brains and get knowledge about the game and what could help me progress as a player," he revealed.

With Hibs placing importance on the character of new signings as well as their talent on the pitch, Hoilett believes he can bring a calmness to games and his team-mates. 

"I think it's just my style of play. I'm a calm character on and off the field and I think that's what I can bring to the team. Especially with my experience to help settle the game in moments, to get a breather in every group and go again. I think I can see the bigger picture and use my experience as well. 

"I like to help each player to reach their potential and there's an enormous amount of talent at Hibs. I like to share my knowledge and see them progress and get better each day. I like to help people crack on and get better, especially with young Rudi [Molotnikov] and we have Élie Youan as well, a lot of young players here. I thrive off bringing my knowledge and helping other players to reach their potential and progress day in, day out and get better. When I was younger I had elders that helped me progress and get better and I just want to pass on my knowledge to the youth."

Gayle could well make his Hibs debut in Govan this weekend and Hoilett is hopeful that his fellow senior pro can make an impact in green and white, having watched him do exactly that in England's Premier League and Football League.

"Every time I played against him he was a threat; not only on the ball, but off the ball when he was running and making those dangerous runs. Anything in the penalty box, he's sharp and he always has an eye for goal. I'm excited for what he can bring to the team and I'm sure he's going to achieve what he wants to achieve here, not only on the field, but also in terms of his knowledge, passing it on to the youngsters to help the team progress in the right way.

"I think it's good for the club and the fans to have experienced players like us to help the team progress. Hopefully, we can not only achieve that, but also help the youngsters coming through to help push the team and the club in the right direction.

"We had a rough start to the season but we're going to put that behind us and take each game in our stride to get to three points and progress. "