Aussie battler Jeggo’s work in the trenches appreciated by Monty

Midfielder recovered from bug that forced him off in County collapse

Hibs boss Nick Montgomery has praised ‘soldier’ Jimmy Jeggo for trying to battle through a bug that saw him throw up on the Easter Road pitch in a sickening midweek collapse by the home side.

And Monty is optimistic that, with key men like Jeggo, Joe Newell and David Marshall stripped and ready for action at Hampden, it won’t be Hibs left feeling green around the gills at full-time in this evening’s Viaplay Cup semi-final.

Montgomery came in for some flak after Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw with Ross County, his team blowing a two-goal lead for the second time on his watch.

Revealing that he’d left star performers out of the starting XI on the advice of sports science experts, he said his decision to sub midfield enforcer Jeggo – just before County got their first goal – had been prompted by the Aussie looking more than a little peaky during the game.

“Before the game he felt a dodgy stomach - and during the game he threw up on the pitch,” he said, adding: “So I felt at that point it was best to take him off and get him right for the weekend. Fingers crossed he will be good for Saturday.

“Jimmy’s a soldier, a resilient player and not someone ever whinges about anything, really low maintenance. It didn’t surprise me about him (that he started the game) but at that point I felt he needed to come off.

“He has been really consistent and does a lot of the work that people maybe don’t see, picks up a lot of second balls and keeps things moving and he works really hard - a team player.

“Him and Joe have struck up a partnership and hopefully they will be fit for the game.”

Confirming that veteran goalie Marshall and game-day captain Newell are among the players “in contention” after being left out of the starting XI in midweek, Montgomery said: “We had a couple of boys carrying niggles on Tuesday night and, in consultation with the medical staff, we decided it was a risk.

“I was not about resting people ahead of the semi-final. We have three games coming up before the next break. Ultimately, I made the decision not to take the risk.

“They are all fully fit now and raring to go for this game and also next week. It is never easy picking a team.

“It’s good to have a good mix for this game. There are boys who have played in big games and played at Hampden.

“There are also young boys, a couple of 16-year-olds who have hardly experienced playing in the SPFL - so it’s another experience for them whether they are on the bench or not.

“On the day, you want the boys who have played to lead on the field.  It’s a semi-final, there is more riding on it - and you hope those boys step up on the day and give that calming influence, which we need.”