We're almost in uncharted territory here. There’s a strange sensation I’m not really used to. I think it’s called positivity. I’d forgotten what it’s like to write an upbeat Hibs column.
It’s felt like I’ve been hammering this club every week this season and, trust me, it’s not something I take any pleasure from. But if you can’t enjoy a six goal win at the weekend, you might as well chuck it. Aberdeen were obviously the big story and it turns out all that – slightly cruel – stuff about El Sackico came to be on the money, with Jim Goodwin getting his jotters.
Sure, the Dons were absolutely honking at Easter Road. But Hibs were good. Very good. They sensed weakness and really went for it. That is much more like it. And it has to be a spark for this side. How often have we seen them get a good result and fail to back it up with another one? It can’t happen this time and that means tonight’s game against Ross Country in Dingwall is every bit as important as the weekend. Maybe even more so.
I said last week Lee Johnson needed three or four wins on the spin to get out of bother and that hasn’t changed. The fact the first one on the board was so emphatic does help though.
Too often this season they’ve struggled to find a cutting edge but it was there in abundance on Saturday. They could have had been more than six.
That’s the benchmark. It will have done no harm in seeing how they’d cope without Ryan Porteous and Kevin Nisbet, even if the latter did come off the bench to score late on.
The game was won by that point and I’d still doubt Nisbet will be in the building this time tomorrow. He could be gone by the time you are reading this while eating the packed lunch.
He might not have fancied Millwall but there will be other calls, especially now clubs know how much he’d cost. I now think selling him would be the smartest business for the club.
A few weeks ago I said Hibs couldn't afford to let him go – but that was before they were out the cup. Listen, if he stays then Hibs have a top striker for the remainder of the season and he’ll be motivated to keep catching the eye of interested parties as well as Scotland manager Steve Clarke.
But his value will be dropping with every month – and now is the optimum time to cash in. Hibs won't go down and they won’t catch Hearts. They are out of the cups and can stay in the fight for Europe even without Nisbet.
Johnson will try to bring in another striker and others need to step up. That was much more like if from Harry McKirdy the other day.
The manager says he has the game face on and he’s ditched his social media. That’s another positive. Hibs paid a decent amount of money for a guy who was top scorer in League Two, and now it’s time for him to repay that transfer fee.
He’s definitely got the ability and given the response from the stands the other day, he can still become a fans favourite. I was delighted for Josh Campbell at the weekend. Scoring a hat trick for the team you support is special.
Surprisingly, he’d become a bit of a target for some of the supporters but Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney and now Johnson all make him one of the first names on the team sheet for a reason.
He’s probably Hibs’ player of the year so far in terms of consistency. It’s just nice for him to get the rewards for once. He's got eight goals for the season now and if he can get double figures and beyond, that’s a tasty total for a midfield player.
Aiden McGeady was great again and young Josh O’Connor looked the part when he came on. Johnson has drafted in CJ Egan-Riley from Burnley and if Pep Guardiola thinks he was good enough to play in the Champions League then he’ll do for me.
The fact he can play a number of positions is a great start, especially with Porteous now gone. Johnson will want another defender in as well but it will be more about getting players out today and in the summer as this squad still needs quality over quantity.
But the doom and gloom on the back of the derby defeats have been replaced by a bit of positivity. They just need to make sure it lasts.
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