Grant Scott raring to go as he approaches his second debut as Hibs manager

After a whole summer of waiting, Grant Scott will finally make his competitive return as Hibs manager this Sunday as they take on SWPL1 champions Glasgow City.

Taking over from Dean Gibson, Scott returned for his second spell at the club in early June. Over the last three months, the manager has overseen multiple comings and goings as he moulds together a new project at Hibs. After weeks of preparation, the club will now take the first step into a new era in Leith, taking on possibly the hardest challenge straightaway.

“I’m looking forward to it now,” Grant told the Edinburgh Evening News. “It is always a line in the sand when you get through your preseason work and I am looking forward to the test on the weekend. I am ready to go now.

“At the end of the day, that is what we all do it for, to be competitive and to put yourself against the opposition in a competitive way. It has taken its time, there has been a lot of work done and the players have worked extremely hard to get to this point too. It is now just about getting what we want from the game, getting the team right, the tactics right against a very difficult opponent. We will do our best in the week to hopefully set up a really good show on Sunday.”

Hibs managed to beat Glasgow City in the SWPL Cup last season. Credit: Colin Poultney

In his last job in the SWPL1, Scott was interim manager of Glasgow City back in 2021, taking charge of the side for four months. Typically, his last game in charge of the Glaswegians was against Hibs before he stepped aside for Eileen Gleeson. Now on his return to the SWPL, he will return to Petershill Park to face his former side for the opening game.

“It is typical,” he stated. “I spoke to Leanne Ross after the draw and we had a bit of a joke about being the first ones. It will be a difficult challenge, but I know a lot of faces at the club after being there myself. It will be good to go and play them and see how we do.”

The challenge of taking on Glasgow City can never be underestimated. For Scott, this game could well be a baptism of fire with the champions only dropping 13 points over the entirety of last season. However, one player with experience of defeating the Glaswegian giants is Hibs captain Joelle Murray. The defender has managed to return to fitness just in time for the opening fixture with the 36-year-old unfazed by the prospect of taking on the champions.

“We know that we will need to play Glasgow City, Celtic and Rangers at some point across the season,” Murray added. “Why not get it out of the way in the opener? It is certainly a challenge that we are looking forward to. They are the holders, so we want to put a marker down and show the quality that we have from the first whistle.”