‘O captain, my captain ...’ Monty full of praise for Hibs leader Joe

Hibs gaffer demanded more from midfielder on day one

Nick Montgomery believes Joe Newell has risen to the honour of captaining Hibs – after being directly challenged to up his game by the new gaffer.

Montgomery is adamant that Paul Hanlon will remain club captain for the season, despite the veteran defender being restricted to cameo appearances from the bench since the arrival of a new coaching team.

But the former Central Coast boss was thrilled to have found vice-captain Newell receptive to his demands.

“I told him on the first day that I think he can give more - and he agreed,” said Montgomery.

“He’s a player everyone can see is very talented. I asked him to work harder, and I think he has been.

“I think he can score goals, he can defend, he can spray balls left, right and centre - he’s got a great left foot - and at set-pieces he can assist. He’s one of those players who has a lot of different attributes, and he’s happy.

“He’s definitely someone pivotal to the team.

“For me, Paul is the club captain and if he’s not playing then Joe is the vice-captain and he wears the armband.

“I thought giving it to Joe would give him a bit more responsibility. I think he’s a player who can handle responsibility. In big games, when you need someone to step up, he can step up.”

Monty also singled out defensive midfielder Jimmy Jeggo for praise, the former Sheffield United battler saying: “He has been outstanding with the ground he covers.

“He’s a player who’s probably similar to the way I played, doing a lot of the hard work for the team.

“He plays it simple and gives it to the players who are really going to cause problems for the opposition, and he’s always covering for everybody, picking up those second balls.

“I think him and Joe have been really good, and that’s why the heart of midfield has been really important for us.

“We’ve got Dylan Levitt and Allan Delferriere on the bench ready to come on and waiting for their opportunity.

“There’s competition for places everywhere but right now those two have been fantastic for me.”