Defender Jonathan Grounds has joined Hibs from Championship side Middlesbrough on loan until January 2011.

Grounds, 22, has already recorded 27 appearances for ‘Boro and has previously enjoyed two loan spells at Norwich.

The left-back – the club’s sixth summer signing – says he is looking forward to his loan move north to Edinburgh.

Hibernian have completed the signing of 27-year old Ghana centre-back Francis Dickoh on a one year deal from FC Utrecht.

The player, who began his career at B93 before having spells at Farum and Nordsjaelland, joined Utrecht in 2006. Though he made over 80 appearances in the Eredivisie, the defender has recently lost his place in the Utrecht first team.

With the iminent departure of Anthony Stokes, to the lesser greens from the west, Hibs have moved to get ex Falkirk and current Bristol City striker Darryl Duffy on loan to the end of the season.

The 26-year-old former Rangers, Swansea and Hull City hitman, capped by Scotland at B level, links up again with Hibs boss John Hughes, who was his manager at Falkirk.

It’s nearly there. The roof is on. Your new seat is there and they’re just putting the finishing touches on our new home. All that awaits is the noise and colour of you and your fellow Hibernian supporters. This is the Leith San Siro. (Last Update: August 3rd @ 18:55)

Back in the days before money took over in terms of European club competitions, Hibs had featured in both the European Cup and the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, the first by invitation and the second initially because Edinburgh hosted a Trade Fair and that was a prerequisite for taking part. Additionally they featured in the Cup Winners Cup which may strike some as strange given our abysmal record in our own domestic cup competition but back in the day if the team that won the cup also won the league then the beaten cup finalists would compete in the Cup Winners Cup and that’s exactly how Hibs found themselves in that tournament in season 1972/73…