Martis deal wins Stamp of approval

HIBS new boy Shelton Martis today revealed how his move to Easter Road received the seal of approval from ex-Hearts star Phil Stamp.

The pair shared a dressing-room at Darlington and although he was stunned at the 23-year-old's switch, the former Tynecastle ace quickly gave him the thumbs up.

And now Martis has promised he'll be on the phone to Stamp, below, to pick his brains before the first Edinburgh derby of the season.

After knocking back the offer of a two-year deal with the Quakers, further negotiations stalled and when Tony Mowbray came calling Martis took less than an hour to tie up a contract which makes him a Hibs player until 2009.

As he looked forward to making his debut in tomorrow's SPL match with Motherwell - a clash which will also see Moroccan midfielder Merouane Zemmama play at Easter Road for the first time - Martis said: "After I'd agreed to join Hibs I went into the dressing room to say goodbye to all the players.

"Phil asked where I was going and although he appeared a bit surprised he immediately told me it was a good move, that I was joining a good club and to enjoy it.

"I didn't get the chance to ask him about the derby with Hearts but I am sure before we play them I'll give him a ring."

Stamp's view was endorsed by another former Hibee, Craig James, now at Darlington, who told Dutch stopper Martis how much he'd enjoyed a loan spell at Easter Road a few years ago.

And although he readily admitted he doesn't know much about Hibs, Martis, who was on the books of Feyenoord from the age of six and has been a fan of the Dutch club all his life, arrived in Edinburgh to find a familiar face in the Easter Road dressing room, goalkeeper Zibi Malkowski. He said: "I'd played with Zibi at Rotterdam Excelsior which is Feyenoord's satellite team. I was only 18 and didn't play too many first-team games. Zibi was first choice goalkeeper and we did play together a few times.

"I didn't know he was here but I am looking forward to renewing our partnership. It's important that defenders strike up an understanding with their goalkeeper and knowing Zibi from the past will undoubtedly help."

Although he had been tracking Martis for much of last season, Mowbray moved swiftly after learning he wasn't signing a new deal for Darlington, watching him in action against Accrington Stanley last week before swooping within 48 hours.

And Martis revealed how he slept as his deal was concluded. He said: "My wife Natalie was out and our three-year-old daughter Shai'enthy was at friends and I dozed off as I was flicking through the television channels.

"When I woke there were all these texts and messages from my agent telling me we had reached an agreement. I had a chat with my wife, it was a chance to play at a higher level and we decided it was a good move for us.

"We came up on Friday, I had my medical and we signed the deal."

Although, like his fellow central defender Rob Jones who signed earlier from Grimsby Town, Martis admits it is a step up from English League Two, he insisted he has no fears, revealing how his performance against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had helped clinch his move from Holland to England.

He said: "I was playing amateur football with FC Eindhoven when a friend who was playing for Darlington and knew they were looking for players called my agent.

"I had a trial match against Middlesbrough which turned out to be a bit of a laugh. Hasselbaink played a ball for George Boateng who was five yards ahead of me but I caught him up and played it back to the goalkeeper.

"Boateng shouted to Hasselbaink in Dutch 'this guy's quick' not realising I was Dutch, too. So I just burst out laughing."

His confidence in his own ability was confirmed when Darlington boss David Hodgson offered him a deal on the evidence of that match.

Martis said: "I was confident about myself. I knew I'd had a good game, Middlesbrough hadn't had a shot at goal."

Although Martis left Darlington amid some acrimony, Hodgson's outburst at his departure probably due more to frustration at seeing a player he was keen to hold onto leaving, he insisted he'd made the right choice.

Martis said: "How many players in football make quick moves. He knew the script. I had a decision to make. He offered me a contract, I thought he was going to ring my agent and we'd start negotiations.

"I'm not going to say anything bad, I had a good year with the only disappointment being we did not reach the play-offs. But they hesitated too much and I had my daughter to look after.

"I knew there were some Championship clubs interested but as I was playing at a lower level I think they did not want to take the risk."

Throughout the interview Martis exudes a quiet confidence, adding: "I haven't modelled myself on anyone. As a defender I watched players like Jaap Staam and Frank de Boer to see how they played. But everyone has his own qualities. I went amateur in Holland because I did not have a club after Excelsior because I wanted to prove to people that I could win a contract. I didn't take a job because I knew I was going to make it.

"I play my own game, I like to have the ball on the ground and I am confident I will do well here."

The referee for tomorrow's match will be Dougie McDonald.

Taken from the Scotsman