Deek's return has made all our wishes come true

I DON'T think I was the only one who was told as a child that, if you wish for something long enough, then you will get it. When I was much younger, I used this mantra to get the Six Million Dollar Man action figure and a Rucanor bag, but haven't really used the tactic that much since.

Well, that was until about January this year, when I started wishing again – along with many other Hibs fans. And our wishes came true just after half past eight last Monday night when I heard we'd finally got Deek back.

I was covering the breakfast show all last week, and I couldn't help but punctuate the Tuesday morning sports bulletins with blasts of the Peters and Lee classic Welcome Home.

It turned out not all the listeners saw the funny side of this – there's no accounting for musical taste or choice of football clubs, I suppose – but it turns out Derek, who was on his way to training at the time, certainly did!

I can't remember a time as a Hibs fan when a signing has made such an impact. I can remember when Keith Wright signed for Hibs and there was a real excitement about having a known Hibs fan and a proven goal scorer playing up front, and we all know how brilliantly that worked out for us.

When Derek made his journey through to the West a couple of years back, I doubt anyone would have thought he'd be back at Easter Road in the green and white of Hibs any time soon.

Not many in recent times have gone to the Old Firm and then come back within a short space of time. Yes, we have Ian Murray back, but only after a dalliance down south.

The only other name that sprung to mind was Pat McGinlay. Pat left the club in 1993 and was back just over a year later, with Hibs buying him back for just over a £100,000 less than Celtic had forked out for him previously. Had it not been for that short run at Celtic, he might have been one of the last players who were eligible for a testimonial, having amassed a total of 13 years service during his two stints at the club.

Nothing since perhaps George Best's signing for Hibs can compare to the kind of excitement that has been generated by last week's bit of business. We've already read reports about the increase in shirt sales, and how the numbers 0 and 1 are having to be re-ordered. It looks like Saturday's "homecoming" match against Dundee United is set to be a sell-out.

We've also read how we are getting a much more mature player with Derek nowadays and, if that is the case, it's even better news. I can only hope the headlines that accompany his time here are of the back page variety and that might be all the easier for him to avoid bother now that he's banned from every club in the city – although I'm not sure if that also applies to the one in Sunnyside!

Credit has to go to the board on this fantastic bit of business and it must have been quite an experience for Rod Petrie to actually splash the cash, having made quite a name for himself as someone who is, shall we say, frugal with the club's funds.

However, the feel-good factor took a wee dunt within just 48 hours as the news came that Merouane Zemmama had been allowed to go on loan to Al-Shaab on domestic and compassionate grounds.

I don't think there is one Hibs fan who will grudge the player or the club this move, but I shudder to think of what the reaction might have been had Mr Riordan's return not been sealed.

I honestly don't think we'll miss Zouma too much though, as we've endured him being absent on many occasions before, and we now also have a fully fit Fabian Yantorno poised to step in.

So, we wished for Deek's return and, as with my Rucanor bag and Steve Austin, we got him. If he can put away some of the many chances the team have been creating of late – and with Steven Fletcher scoring for the under 21s last week – this season might turn out to be very exciting indeed.

Glory, Glory!

Tidy solution to McGinlay poser

TALKING of Pat McGinlay, I mentioned him on these pages earlier this year and posed the "whatever happened to" question. Well, I've got the answer. I found out through a mutual friend that, since retiring from the game in 2005, Pat and his wife Margaret are running a successful cleaning business overseeing the cleaning of offices and homes across Glasgow. Mystery solved!