Exclusive:The 'stuff it' moment that saw Hibs ace end long wait for goal as assist king reveals game time gaffer talks
Nicky Cadden’s first goal in 21 months helped Hibs to thumping 4-0 win over Aberdeen
Flying forward from his starting position as emergency left back to occupy the inside right slot in the penalty box, taking a chance and then using his ‘wrong’ foot to finish with furious force, Nicky Cadden certainly looked determined to make an impression in his late cameo at Pittodrie. And the motivation for his first goal in 21 long months isn’t much of a mystery.
Disappointed at being left out of the Hibs line-up for a historic Hampden victory over Hearts, aware that Marink Reedijk was never going to change a winning team for Saturday’s league game against Aberdeen, Cadden gave vent to his frustration on the field. And could be forgiven for flirting with colourful language when explaining how he found himself in a position to hit the net within minutes of his late introduction as a substitute for a cramping Jack Iredale.
Impact subs delivered resounding win
“It was good, obviously, to come on and score,” he admitted, adding: “What was I doing up there? Aye, I know I came on at left back.
“I was going to swear, but I couldn't say that … To be honest, I just thought: ‘Stuff it, I’m going up the pitch.’ Thankfully it paid off.
“I think the performance overall, and the impact of the substitutes, showed you that this team is very good. We showed that against Aberdeen, not just with the result and the goals but the performance. The fact that all the boys who came off the bench made an impact was really good.
“It definitely makes it more enjoyable going into the international break. We knew the Aberdeen game was massive for us.
“When you don’t win going into that international break, it’s a long two weeks. Now we’re delighted to be going in with a real positive feeling.”
Four unanswered goals and three points in the Granite City saw Hibs lift themselves off the foot of the Scottish Premiership table, although Cadden insists that being stuck in 12th place had not – at least not yet – become a major concern to the squad, saying: “No, not really. It's still early days. You can see there's improvement. That’s been the most important thing, more important than league position this early.”
‘I should be playing more’ - wide man on claim for starting spot
Having shrugged aside some injury worries and been forced to bide his time under new manager Reedijk, Cadden made his first start of the season in the 1-1 away draw with St Mirren just days before the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at the national stadium. Impressive on the night, and a constant source of chances from his starting position on the left wing, he made a strong claim for inclusion in the biggest derby for years.
But Martin Boyle’s recovery from illness saw Reedijk switch things up by starting the veteran forward on the left as Hibs recorded their first ever Hampden win over Hearts. Cadden came off the bench for the closing five minutes in Glasgow.
Revealing that he’d held talks with the manager about both his best role in the team and his lack of game time, the 30-year-old said: “I've had a few chats with the gaffer. I feel like me and him are on the same page.
“We feel I'm better further forward. I totally agree. That's the position I want to play in. Obviously, Jack couldn’t continue at left back against Aberdeen, so I came on and I've done a job there.
“To be honest, I'm disappointed not to play on Sunday after I felt I'd done well against St Mirren. And then he’s not going to change the team for Aberdeen after how well the boys did against Hearts at Hampden.
“I just need to keep showing what I'm doing in training and what I'm doing in games. I feel I should be playing more.”
Eager to be part of an interesting game plan in the final third, Cadden stressed: “We've got good players. You've seen we've got good players. You've seen us coming off the bench as well.
“And the boys that are injured as well can come back to deliver. We've got a good squad in there. We're just sticking together and it'll be good.
“And he does give us a bit of freedom to play in the final third. Obviously we’ve got a few rotations that we like to use, and a few things that we’ve been working on. It has been working.”
Cadden’s goal on Saturday was his first since February of 2025. When he found the net in a 2-0 home win over the Dons. The fact that he finished with what some might call his standing leg was a surprise to the player himself, as much as anyone else.
“I know, a right-foot finish!’ he said with a laugh. “I can add that to my many left-foot finishes. I have to be honest, I probably count how many in my hand how many I've scored with my right foot. It's always good to mix them up a bit.
“Obviously, I know I didn’t score last season, which was annoying. But my numbers were good last year. I was top of the assists last year. I was helping out the team in assists.
“Obviously, I always like to score more goals. If the team's doing well and I'm not scoring, I don't care. As long as the team does well.”