Martin Boyle tore Connor Goldson to absolute shreds. Giovanni van Bronckhorst would have sat in the Main Stand at Hampden and realised the Hibs man can do that to his team.
Boyle is the one man whom Rangers fans and staff will truly fear. And Saturday is the time for him to be fully unleashed. Martin has made a big difference coming off the bench in the last two games, but Lee Johnson has to start him. He scored a hat-trick against Rangers in that semi-final last season and there’s not many players who do that floating around.
He is a talisman. Russell Latapy is the one man that I played with at Hibs that you looked at in the tunnel by your side and thought: He can do something magic today. When Russell was playing, you fancied it. If he wasn’t, you thought you might struggle a bit. I feel Martin would be like that now for the current team. He is up to speed and he’s been brought back to make a difference. No better time than Saturday.
I would play Martin through the middle. He did that at Hampden and, as I said, ripped Goldson to pieces. Van Bronkhorst was just in the door and saw it with his own eyes. Rangers have lost Calvin Bassey who provided some speed at the back and, if Martin can isolate Goldson again, Hibs could get real joy.
It’s always a massive big game for Hibs and a great opportunity to get right back on it after defeat at Livingston. First-half there, I thought Hibs were poor. Livingston got the early goal. It was a good finish by Joel Nouble, but Paul Hanlon sold himself and it was poor defending.
Hibs were lucky not to go in 2-0 down, but Boyle comes on the pitch at half-time and it’s a different team only for them to lose a terrible goal from a set piece.
Livi is a tough place to go. I read Lee's comments afterwards and, if you didn’t know what Scottish football can be about, you do after a trip there. You have to roll your sleeves up. I’m not doing Livi a disservice because they have some quality, but you need to dig in as well.
Hibs showed dogged determination and courage in the first two games against St Johnstone and Hearts. There’s different ways of being brave. It means getting on the ball when you are under pressure as you always are at Hibs with a big support everywhere home and away. I’m sure that’s what Lee is rattling into them every day.
Four points from nine is not a disastrous start to the season, it’s okay, but there are tougher games on the horizon starting with Rangers. Lee mentioned good players not turning up at Livi and his team selection for Rangers will be interesting.
Big Christian Doidge came in and he didn’t play that well. Will Hanlon stay in the side? Jair Tavares started and was hooked at half-time. Lee's got decisions. Traditionally, Hibs always raise their game against Rangers. Home and away, it was always like that in my time.
Regardless of current form, Hibs are capable of raising their game and being able to beat Rangers, especially at Easter Road. Rangers have huge games against PSV Eindhoven either side of it and it’s hard to come back from big European games.
It’s not a free hit, but the pressure is off a little bit as no-one expects Hibs to get a result. But Boyle has to start and go straight at the heart of van Bronckhorst’s backline. If he does, I’d say Hibs have a decent chance of a season-lighting result.
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