Hibs Exclusive: Veteran ready to face Rangers as former Newcastle man proves match fitness

Can I kick it? Yes, you can. Dwight Gayle has impressed in training AND a close-doors bounce game. | SNS Group

Hibs could unleash experienced penalty box predator Dwight Gayle on Rangers at Ibrox despite the veteran’s six-month absence from competitive football – after just one closed-doors training game for the former Newcastle and Crystal Palace striker. But David Gray could be without both Martin Boyle AND Joe Newell for Sunday’s high noon showdown.

Granted a free weekend after getting their first league win of the season last time out, Hibs have made good use of the enforced break. And Gayle, who wasn’t risked in that home victory over St Johnstone after completing his free agent signing on the eve of the match, has proven himself ready to play – despite not featuring in a first-team match since March.

Gray, impressed with how the 34-year-old had kept himself fit by doing a full preseason with the PFA, revealed: “Dwight got 75 minutes in the bounce game. But it was never about his fitness with the St Johnstone game; it was just down to the fact that he had only been in the building one day.

“The level he’s played at, the professionalism he shows, I can see it every day in training since. He’s really looked after himself – and is still able to perform at this level.

“He is good to go and ready as and when he’s called upon. He’ll be in the squad for Sunday, definitely.”

Hibs fans will be hoping that Gayle makes the same sort of impact as another veteran free agent signing, Junior Hoilett. The Canadian international turned the tide in the win over St Johnstone, despite only getting on the pitch as a half-time sub.

Gray said: “You see it with guys like Dwight and Junior, the fact that they know their bodies. They’ll have had injuries in the past, so they know how to recover, make the right decisions at the right time.

“And having played at a high level, the highest level of the game, they have that bit of confidence and understanding of when to calm things down. You saw that with Junior in the St Johnstone game, just calming the thing down, knowing when to take a touch and making the right decision, more often than not. That’s infectious and has an effect on the whole group.

“The break came at a good time for a couple of the players, allowing Martin Boyle and Joe Newell to deal with injuries they’d been playing with. They managed to get those sorted out.

“For new players coming in, the likes of Dwight and Jack Iredale, they got to spend more time on the grass. We had an in-house training game, working on all the things we’re doing, so they were still getting the replica of a game at the end of the week.

“But we didn’t need as much of a down day the day before the game. We could get a lot of work into them.

“The result just before the break helped, as well. As much as you would want another game to build on that momentum, it gave the boys a lift in their confidence going into training.

“Getting that feelgood factor back in the building was important because of the manner of the draws we’d had, going from winning games to losing late goals. Not that the mood was negative. But we definitely saw a spring in the steps of players.”

Gray revealed that Boyle is facing “a race against time for this weekend” following an operation on his wrist, while Newell is taking longer than expected to recover from a double hernia operation. The club captain has only an outside chance of being fit to face Rangers.