Christian Doidge poised to make quick return for Hibs

Hibs expect Christian Doidge to be available for Tuesday night’s league match against St Johnstone.

Hibs striker Christian Doidge had to miss out on Saturday's Celtic match after picking up a training ground injury. Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group

The Welsh striker was a notable omission from the team sent out to face Celtic at Easter Road on Saturday, after he rolled his ankle in training on Friday.

But he should be fit for a recall by the time the Perth side turn up in Leith.

The 28 year old forward will have to wait to see if he is immediately reinstated in the starting line-up, though, after his colleagues earned a 2-2 draw with the defending Premiership champions in his absence.

Altering the shape of the team, manager Jack Ross gave Stevie Mallan, who scored the winner at McDiarmid Park in August, only his second league start of the season but the Hibs boss admitted that he had wanted a greater foothold in the game, wary of Celtic’s ability to punish his team if they were too open.

The tactical approach is likely to differ against a side who have picked up just seven points from a possible 18 on the road this term and who Hibs have already defeated.

Ross has also shown a preference for a two-man strikeforce and Doidge, who has scored four times this season and finished the last campaign as the club’s top scorer, has featured whenever he is fit, missing just two of Hibs’ 19 games so far.

The club will also assess the fitness of Drey Wright and Lewis Stevenson, who are close to comebacks, although the midweek game is likely to come too soon for them both, with next weekend’s Betfred Cup visit from Dundee a more likely target.

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