Browned Off

Hibs are resigned to losing Scott Brown soooner rather than later. Despite Brown enjoying the experience off winning the CIS Cup with the Edinburgh club, manager John Collins accepts that Brown will still probably leave the club during the summer transfer window. Brown was expeted to be part of a double leaving act in January with friend Kevin Thomson, who joined Rangers. Despite handing in a written transer request, which was dismissed by ythe club, Brown decided to stay with Hibs and was rewarded on Sunday when they won the CIS Cup final against Kilmarnock. However, Collins is not confident his star man will remain at the club for that much longer. The Hibs manager went on to say that Brown will be the only big name allowed to leave Easter Road in the summer despite players such as Lewis Stevenson, Steven Whittaker and Steven Fletcher linked with a move away. Collins said: "Scotty will go, probably in the summer. It's not definite, but if the right offer comes in, Scotty will go in the summer. All these other boys are on long contracts. So we won't be selling anybody else in the summer, that's for sure."

After accepting he would not leave in January, Brown declared he was ready to see out his current contract, which runs until 2009. This determination, however, may have been diminished since he made that statement, as, despite his genuine joy at winning the CIS Cup, the international midfielder has surely acquired a taste for the bigger stage. After the 5-1 win on Sunday, Brown said: "I'm delighted I didn't move on in January. A lot of things happened within the club and a lot of things were said, but in the end I really wanted to stay. I'm enjoying my football with Hibs and a day like today makes it all worthwhile. We played well at important stages of the game and it just feels fantastic to have won a trophy as a Hibs player. It means a lot to me and I know how much it means to the supporters."