Exclusive:Hibs ace Junior in Aberdeen warning as veteran talks firepower, league table - and surprise 'target man' tag
David Gray’s men up to third in Scottish Premiership - but must build on momentum
Double Hibs goal scorer Junior Hoilett has urged his Hibs team-mates not to waste the vital momentum built in their bounce-back win over Livingston. And the former Aberdeen favourite insists this weekend’s trip to Pittodrie represents a major test – despite the Dons sitting second bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
Hoilett scored twice as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 4-0 thumping of Livi at Easter Road, as David Gray’s men recovered from losing the first Edinburgh derby of the season just before the international break. The three points saw Hibs climb to third in the table.
Jimmy Thelin’s shot-shy men needed an injury-time goal from Marko Lazetic to beat St Mirren in Paisley last weekend. Victory over the Buddies saw Jimmy Thelin’s side, who had defeated Dundee just before the break, climb off the foot of the table to sit second bottom with seven points from the opening eight rounds of competition.
Hoilett feels firepower could be the decisive factor in Sunday’s head-to-head between two teams who added an extra edge to their rivalry during last season’s battle for European places. The Dons have scored just five league goals all season, and didn’t break their duck until October, while Hibs are now the top flight’s second most prolific scorers with 11.
Hoilett testifies to Klidje training ground work
The former Blackburn, QPR and Cardiff attacker was pleased to see £1.5 million record summer signing Thibault Klidje mark just his second league start with a stand-out performance on Saturday, the Togo international striker scoring a fine solo opener and winning the decisive penalty that allowed Hibs to go 2-0 up, effectively killing the contest before Hoilett added a couple of insurance goals. That, insists the Premier League veteran, is a positive sign for Gray and his coaching staff.
“You know, we’ve seen a lot of Thibault in training,” said Hoilett. “He’s good, obviously. He's been working hard day in day out, put his head down and got on with his work.
“It took him a while to adapt to a new culture, new environment, but he's been settling in well - and the boys are enjoying having him as part of the group. You can see how he did against Livingston, not just the goal but the all-round performance. You can see what he means to the team already.
Substitutes can contribute with goals
“I think having goals in the squad is going to be important, not just in the starting XI but the bench as well. You saw that against Livingston, guys coming off the bench and contributing.
“We’re getting close to a full squad, although we’ve also still got a few players that need to come back from injuries, so they'll put in a shift as well. The manager always emphasises that it's a full squad performance - and that's what we need throughout the whole season.”
Stressing the importance of Sunday’s game, Hoilett – back for a second season at Hibs – said he expects his old club to be up there in the race for European places again, despite a disastrous start that saw the Dons fail to score in their opening half dozen Scottish Premiership fixtures.
“We need to go to to Aberdeen and get a result to follow up on this week,” he said, adding: “We need to build on the win.
“It’s the same as ever, we’re working hard in training to go there and nullify their strengths. And then we have to capitalise on our strengths, just as we did against Livingston.
“Yeah, of course, we expect Aberdeen to be up there with us. They're a big club, and they finish where they finish for a reason.
“We have to give them respect - and go at them with positivity from getting a win. It will take a professional performance again to follow up beating Livingston.
“And the fact that we got up to third with one win shows you how quickly things change. That’s football for you.
“We have to take it week by week, game by game, really work hard on the training ground. We’ve got to listen to the manager’s tactics and advice to go into each games in a positive frame of mind, trying to keep collecting the points.”
Gray jokingly called Hoilett a “target man” after the playmaker – five-foot-eight in long studs – scored his first with a beautifully taken header on Saturday. The 35-year-old, who rifled a Chris Cadden cutback into the roof of the net to make it 4-0, laughed as he was told about his gaffer’s crack.
‘Check my record of headed goals!’ - Canadian international
And he revealed: “I was actually telling the boys this week, I scored a few in my career, you know? You gotta look them up, I got a few headed goals in my career!
“No, it felt good. It was good, it was a good professional performance from beginning to end, man to man. Everybody put in a good shift to react from the last result and kick start the season.
“Yeah, the fact that we turned things around so well last year gave us confidence. We were disappointed with some of the points we dropped this season – but we knew it would turn.
“We were playing well, we made a few mistakes that we had to iron out. And you can see against Livingston that every man to a tee put in a great performance to not only score goals but also keep a clean sheet.”