When Elie Youan had scored the second of his two goals against Livingston to turn the game in Hibernian’s favour after Joel Nouble had opened the scoring for the hosts, the striker darted over to the adoring away support to lap up their salutations. As he did, he stood on the edge of the pitch, placed his hands together and raised them alongside his head as if he were sleeping.
It was an act of self-deprecation; a nod to the light-hearted approach the forward takes to the game and beyond. Along with sticking the ball in the back of the net – the Frenchman now has five goals in as many games for Lee Johnson’s in-form side – Youan has another hobby. His celebration, he explains, was conceived with his favourite pastime in mind.
“That’s funny because I sleep a lot: in fact, I love sleeping! It’s my hobby so, whenever I have any free time, I go to sleep,” the 23-year-old said. “I sleep for at least eight hours every night and then I nap for a couple of hours during the day. I sometimes have one at the training centre.
“On Saturday, I slept in the coach on the way to the stadium. I do that often and sometimes, when we arrive and I wake up, I’ve forgotten where we are. My team-mates tease me about it.”
The roles were reversed at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Saturday. This time it was Youan who caught the Livingston defence napping, blissfully unaware of the striker darting in behind the backline after an expertly-timed run afforded him the freedom of West Lothian. His composed finish sparked the visitors into life and his second, a well-placed shot from an acute angle, ensured Hibs had a lead to defend after the break.
Jack Fitzwater’s red card 10 minutes into the second half sealed the home side’s fate and goals from Chris Cadden and Mykola Kukharevych ensured an emphatic win for the men from Leith. They had to overcome some early adversity but did so in impressive fashion and Youan was at the heart of it.
Youan’s impressive performances of late naturally prompt questions over his long-term future at Easter Road. On loan from St Gallen in Switzerland, no one can say for sure what will happen beyond the end of the season but the man himself is only looking at the here and now.
“I’m focusing only on the next game and not really thinking about the future,” he said. “There have been no discussions of that kind, we only talk about football - who we play next and what I can do to help the team, how I can progress and be more clinical.
“Anyway, I don’t talk about contracts because that’s not my business but you can see I’m happy here. I score goals and I have assists for others. I like Edinburgh a lot – it’s my home now.
“I think you are now seeing the true Hibernian. In my opinion, we have great potential as a side because we have young players but we also have older ones with experience – like David Marshall, Paul Hanlon and Chris Cadden.
“Since I came here I have been thinking about how good they can be and I still feel the same way about them.”
The defeat for Livingston was the Lions’ fourth on the spin in all competitions but midfielder Stephen Kelly insists that the players are not suffering from a crisis of confidence. He contends that Saturday’s game was fairly even until Fitzwater’s dismissal – a claim that is difficult to refute – and he believes that with a little more creativity, Livi can reach the top six.
David Martindale’s side currently occupy seventh place in the standings, two points behind St Mirren in sixth with a game in hand, with six fixtures to go until the split. On Wednesday they host Dundee United and Kelly knows there is no better time for the team to halt their losing streak.
“I think up until the sending off it was fairly even,” he said. “Obviously we did well to go ahead then the two goals we shouldn’t lose. It’s how the game went and the red card let them get more of a foothold.
“It’s been a difficult month or so for us but I think we’ve still got everything to play for. Ultimately it’s our responsibility it’s up to us to get out there and start to win games of football again.
“I don’t think a lack of confidence. In the game there were moments that went against us. As a group of players, we need to take more responsibility in terms of creating chances. I don’t feel we troubled their keeper other than Joel’s goal.
“I think we just need to keep going and see where the next game takes us. Dundee United is another home game for us. When teams come here, we need to make it difficult for them again and win games.
“We’ve picked up a few points on the road since the turn of the year but our home form has been poorer than it should be. Wednesday is a chance to rectify that.
“The league is very tight. One win and the whole mood and attitude can change across the league. It’s not the end of the world and we’ve got a lot of football to play.”
