Former Dundee striker Cummings excited by Australian challenge

Jason Cummings is relishing his chance to impress in Australia after joining Central Coast Mariners on an 18-month deal following his departure from Dundee.

The 26-year-old former Hibernian striker moved to Dens Park last January and scored 14 goals in 36 appearances. However, he fell foul of manager James McPake after a disciplinary issue in mid-December which resulted in him being sent home from training and he has not played since.

Edinburgh-born Cummings, who has made two appearances in friendlies for Scotland, is eligible to play for Australia through his Perth-born mother.

"I am really excited to further develop my football here in Australia," he told the Mariners website. "I have only been here a couple of hours and really looking forward to getting straight into training with my new team-mates.

"I am not taking this opportunity lightly and want to reward the Central Coast Mariners. Being an Australian citizen, I knew it was only a matter of time until I came out here and I am ready to make an instant impact and show people what I can do."

Cummings burst on to the scene with Hibs, where he scored 71 goals and helped them win the Scottish Cup in 2016. However, he has struggled to find consistency since leaving Easter Road to join Nottingham Forest in 2017.

Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery believes he can reignite the spark in Cummings.

"As always, we did our due diligence and spoke to numerous people who know Jason personally and the feedback was that he is a very talented player who has not reached his undoubted potential, but a fresh start here in the right environment can be the making of him," he said.

"We fought off interest from numerous clubs vying for his services and, after speaking with Jason many times via Zoom and on the phone, I am in no doubt he will be a massive asset to the club. At 26 he is a great age coming into his prime and his goal-scoring record speaks for itself."

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