Excitement is building ahead of the first Edinburgh derby of the season as a sell-out Easter Road gets ready to welcome Lee Johnson for his first league match in Leith.
A last-minute winner in Perth last weekend has heightened spirits ahead of the visit of Hearts where a draw or defeat would have left supporters still smarting from our league cup woes.
Instead, we are looking forward to the derby fresh from a much-needed opening day victory over St Johnstone and contemplating some promising performances from the squad.
The standout for many who watched last weekend’s win was debutant Marijan Čabraja. The Croatian left back looks at first glance like a very solid signing and an all-round full back. His ability to get up and down the wing, to link up with attacks and deliver early, quality crosses gives many of us reason for optimism following Josh Doig’s departure.
He looks strong, no-nonsense and a real improvement in our starting XI which is what the summer transfer window requires following the disappointment of the last 12 months.
Another player making his first competitive appearance for Hibs was Elie Youan following the approval of his work permit. The big Frenchman showed signs that he can spearhead the side’s attack and while he didn’t create too many chances of note on Saturday, his link up play was of a good standard.
Once he finds his rhythm in the squad the service from both full backs and attacking three behind him could prove to be a key component which we have been missing throughout Kevin Nisbet’s injury.
While Hibs dominated the possession and chances at McDairmid Park we only found the target once in 90 minutes. It’s an area we’ll need to improve on Sunday but hopefully with another game under their belts our forwards will click this weekend.
At the other end of the pitch our defence and goalkeeper looked as good as they have done so far this season. Chris Cadden continues to provide a consistent level of performance at right back and playing in tandem with Čabraja should give us a real threat on both flanks which will be enjoyable to watch in 2022/23.
The back four seems to suit us far better than the ill-fated Shaun Maloney three which blighted much of last season. With Rocky Bushiri continuing to get minutes under his belt in the absence of Paul Hanlon he has gone from strength to strength in recent games and the support have backed the big man so far this year.
With much of the media and opposition fans writing Rocky off before he kicked a ball this season due to his contract situation, he has done incredibly well to ignore the noise and concentrate on his own performances on the pitch.
With Ryan Porteous alongside him we have a very young central defensive partnership but both players have the opportunity to make a real name for themselves this season.
Ryan will continue to be the centre of attention throughout the campaign but as Hibs fans we know exactly how good he can be – and just how much he’s improved in the last 18 months – so hopefully with the right coaching he can prove the less-informed wrong and put in more of the performances which saw him earn a place in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
Lee Johnson has already given Porteous a leadership role within the squad which shows the faith he has in him and we look forward to seeing him go from strength to strength at Easter Road this season.
Behind the back four is our new captain, Scotland internationalist David Marshall. A player who has been there and done it at all levels of the game and someone who is already proving to be a great addition to the first team, Marshall has seamlessly taken his place between the sticks.
Our new keeper will earn important points for Hibs this season with his shot stopping abilities and he will help our young defence through games with his talking and calmness in possession. His save down low to his left on Saturday is proof that he’s got the mentality to ensure he’s there when called upon in games despite having little to do for much of the game in Perth.
He will also, for the first time in a while, stop Hibs fans losing their nails when the ball is at the goalkeeper’s feet.
A word also for Josh Campbell who has been utilised as an auxiliary full back a couple of times under Lee Johnson this season. He popped up when required on Saturday to help the ball into the net via Rocky Bushiri or a St Johnstone defender, depending on which angle you watch.
Sunday will be a big game for our midfield players. It should be a game suited to Nohan Kenneh and Joe Newell, who are likely to start alongside each other again in midfield, but it will require committed and sensible performances from them both in order to ensure we control the game on our own patch.
Kenneh and Newell would’ve been set to start behind an attack-minded three of Melkersen, Henderson and either Jair Tavares or Demi Mitchell, until the left sided pair were both ruled out through suspension and injury.
It was a surprise to see Mitchell feature on Saturday and he got more game time on Tuesday afternoon when the Development Team took on Queens Park, but a recurrence of his injury means he misses out against Hearts.
It remains to be seen how Lee Johnson will adapt the starting XI with three left sided options missing, with Aiden McGeady also out for a prolonged period.
Nothing will be defined this early in the season, with lots of big games to come over the course of the next few weeks and months, but how good it would be to put an early marker down against them at Easter Road.
It will give Hibs fans a real sense of understanding as to how far we’ve come in only a couple of weeks following the League Cup exit when we head to Leith to watch the boys on Sunday – here’s hoping for the right result.
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