Former Hibs midfielder Stevie Mallan hits goal trail after a year out

Former Hibs midfielder Stevie Mallan went over a year without kicking a ball, but is now back on the pitch and smashing in the goals in the English lower leagues.

He 27-year-old scored some stunning goals during his time at St Mirren and Hibs and has hit the scoring trail again in recent weeks with three goals in his three games for Salford City. The purple patch has come during his first six games for the English League Two side after over a year out injured.

Mallan siged for Salford last summer after leaving Yeni Malatyaspor following a dispute over unpaid wages. His last appearance for the Turkish Super Lig side came in January 2022 and a spinal fracture ruled him out for the rest of that season before he cancelled his contract anyway.

His fresh start at the club backed by Manchester United's class of 92 took a turn for the worst when he suffered another injury setback. That prevented Mallan from making his debut until February, but he hasn’t taken long getting up to speed. Substitute appearances followed against Swindon, Mansfield, Newport and Crewe, against who he found the net and earned him a start in the following match. He marked that with another goal against Doncaster and followed it up with a third in three games against promotion-chasing Stevenage on his birthday at the weekend.

Salford City's Stevie Mallan, right, celebrates with team mates after scoring the opening goal against Stevenage on Saturday

Mallan came through the ranks at St Mirren before moving joining English Championship side Barnsley in 2017. He returned to Scotland with Hibs, spending two and a half years at Easter Road before securing a loan move to Yeni Malatyaspor in 2021.