Hibs have confirmed the departure, by mutual consent, of two Scottish Cup winners in the shape of Anthony Stokes and Liam Fontaine.
Stokes off field misdemeanours have been well publicised and the Irishman, hailed as Hibs marquee summer signing following his release by Blackburn Rovers, has fallen foul of Neil Lennon’s hardline stance after pushing the boundaries on more than one occasion during his short lived, third spell at the club.
Fontaine on the other hand has been a model professional throughout his 3 and a half years at the club and despite fighting back to fitness in the past month, he’s unlikely to shift Darren McGregor, Paul Hanlon or Efe Ambrose from a starting spot and with the promising Ryan Porteous making the breakthrough this season it was going to be hard for the veteran to see any game time at Easter Road.
Centre half Fontaine is believed to have signed a short term deal with Ross County following his contract termination whilst Bolton Wanderers have an interest in Stokes as a replacement for Gary Madine.
Hibs full statement read:
Anthony Stokes has left the club by mutual consent. The striker was in his third spell at the club after returning in the summer.
He memorably scored a double in the club`s historic 3-2 victory over Rangers in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final, and will forever be remembered fondly by the Hibernian support for that performance at Hampden.
He made 94 appearances in total across his three spells at the club, scoring 45 goals.
Liam Fontaine has also left the club by mutual consent. Another Scottish Cup winner, the defender also helped Hibs to promotion last season and has been a popular player with supporters during his three and a half year stay.
He made 100 appearances for Hibernian after joining from Bristol City in 2014, scoring four goals and captaining the side on occasion.
We would also like to wish Anthony and Liam well with their future careers.
