Emerson Hyndman adamant Hibs can only get better

It was going to happen one day. Hibs simply couldn't continue to create and spurn the chances they'd enjoyed in recent weeks without handing out a hammering but, in the end, even boss Neil Lennon admitted he had some sympathy for Hamilton, the side which suffered the brunt of his team in full flow.

Martin Boyle, left, celebrates his opening goal with Stevie Mallan

Six goals, two of them in added-on time, were no less than Hibs deserved, their biggest top-flight victory since they put seven past Livingston almost 12 years ago, back in the days of Chris Killen, Derek Riordan, Garry O’Connor and Steven Fletcher.

That wasn’t a bad attacking line-up in anyone’s books but, while Lennon continues to insist his new-look side is a “work in progress”, you sense there could be more than a few days like this to come.

Yes, Hamilton were poor, Martin Canning admitting his players’ performance was “right up there with the worst” he had experienced as Accies manager, but that’s not to take away from a Hibs side which was simply irresistible, scoring three in each half.

Tougher tests lie ahead with Celtic and Hearts away to come. However, with Hibs just two points behind their Capital rivals in second place and with 19 league goals – 13 of them coming in their last four matches – Emerson Hyndman believes there is plenty still to come from players still getting to know each other, Miquel Nelom, the last of the eight summer arrivals getting a late run-out on Saturday.

The on-loan Bournemouth midfielder said: “We have done well recently but we knew we could score more goals so we were waiting for a little breakout and we got that.”

Martin Boyle and Stevie Mallan had already put Hibs two up before Hyndman got his first goal for the club, Mallan adding another sublime long-range strike which had Lennon comparing him to Celtic legend Lubo Moravcik. Flo Kamberi got in on the act in added-on time, scoring the fifth and Accies player Matthew Kilgallon then turned his cross into his own net. Hyndman said: “You want to score goals when you have opportunities but it’s not fallen my way until now. To score, especially at home, was a good feeling. The monkey is off my back so hopefully I can keep getting into good positions and trust myself.

“When Neil Lennon spoke to me he relayed his intentions, what he wanted for the club. Everything was very positive, a very attacking mindset and as an attacking player it was really exciting.

“The lads have been great, the form speaks for itself. We are in good nick. It’s all down to trust, we’ve worked together for a while. When new players come in you learn how each other play and I think we are seeing the benefits of what we put in on the training ground recently. We know there are things we can still improve and make better, but it is going well.”

Hearts’ impressive start to the season has had Craig Levein’s men hailed as potential title contenders. Hibs, meanwhile, have flown under the radar and, admitted Hyndman, he and his team-mates are happy to keep it that way. “We are up there right now but we are not looking too much at the table. That’s important at the end of the season. We are doing well at the moment and we know we have to keep that up.

“There are no easy games. We have to show up every week and put in performances. If we keep winning, I don’t see why not.”

Faced with the loss of John McGinn, Dylan McGeouch and Scott Allan, Lennon admitted he would struggle to find a solution but through a series of shrewd signings that trio, if not forgotten, are now more of a happy memory.

Lennon’s squad has a healthy blend of experience and youth, veteran Australian midfielder Mark Milligan looking more and more like the final piece of the jigsaw, a player who will probably rarely grab the headlines but someone appreciated by his team-mates for the unflappable way he patrols the middle of the park, looking for danger and snuffing it out.

Milligan is just one of 12 full internationalists at Easter Road with Boyle poised to become a 13th. And half of the side which destroyed Hamilton were aged 23 or under, 19-year-old Jamie Gullan getting his first taste of Premiership football in the latter stages.

Hyndman, himself capped by America, added: “That shows you the strength of our squad. We have a lot of good players not only starting but on our bench, a lot of depth. Lots go on the international break this week and every experience I have had when you go away is really good for playing against some of the best teams in the world, and the best players, so it is a good experience.

“Obviously when they come back it will be even better because of the camps they are going on and the games they are playing. That’s really good.”