Hibs are without some key men as Betfred Cup starts - and it could get worse in November due to their success

Paul Hanlon, centre, is pleased that Ryan Porteous, left, is on international duty and reckons Kevin Nisbet, right, could be next.

International football may take centre stage for the next ten days with Scotland’s Euro 2020 play-off semi-final against Israel on Thursday being the highlight, but such is the congested nature of the domestic football calendar in a global pandemic, Hibs will be in action – not once, but three times – during that same period.

The Easter Road outfit begin their Betfred Cup campaign on Wednesday night when Brora Rangers make the long journey down to the Capital. Ties against Cove Rangers, away on Saturday, and then a trip to Forfar Athletic a week on Tuesday follow.

Hibs are red-hot favourites to top Group B – the pool also includes Dundee, who are opponents in November – but they will have to navigate their next three fixtures without arguably their best two defensive-minded players this season. Goalkeeper Ofir Marciano is on international duty with Israel, while centre-back Ryan Porteous has been called into the Scotland squad. In addition, midfielder Alex Gogic is in line for his Cyprus debut, having been summoned once again. His absence will also be felt.

Jack Ross, however, should have enough resource at his disposal to plug the gaps. The Hibs head coach doesn’t have the largest squad, but the likes of Darren McGregor, Melker Hallberg and Stevie Mallan will be desperate to grasp any first-team chances that arise, while on-loan QPR goalkeeper Dillon Barnes is expected to deputise for Marciano.

Breaking it into stages

One man who will almost certainly feature again this week is Paul Hanlon, who has flown under the radar this season. The defensive plaudits have gone to reliable right-back Paul McGinn, new kid on the block Josh Doig as well as Porteous and Marciano. Yet Hanlon, the elder statesman of the back-line at 30-years-old and wearer of the captain’s armband with David Gray out of the team, has been mightily impressive too. He opened his goal account for the season last Friday in the 3-2 win over Hamilton, a victory that moved Hibs on to 20 points in the Premiership. Last season, it took until December 7 for them to amass that total.

"We're probably on target,” said Hanlon when asked to analyse where Hibs are right now. “The manager's mentioned a few times we've set targets in six-game blocks and we just maybe missed our target the last time, which we set quite high.

"We're on target for this one and setting these targets is a good way the gaffer does it by breaking it into stages. We'll work our way through the season setting high targets and if we match them we'll be in a good position.”

Safe Port in a storm

Hanlon’s Scotland days probably look beyond him, having not made the squad since his one-and-only call-up for a friendly against the Netherlands exactly three years ago. He’s more than happy to see his partner at the back, Porteous, being thrust into the international limelight though and believes the 21-year-old is improving rapidly.

"He's got that natural confidence and belief in his defending and his ability,” said Hanlon. “It just comes with experience and learning when to make the big tackles, when to make the passes and do the right things. I think that's coming with every game.

"For Hibs, we want him to be playing as well as he can and getting international recognition will help him with his confidence and belief that he can really push on in his career.”

Marciano, he’s magic, you know

On the topic of confidence, Scotland will come up against a goalkeeper in the form of his life in Marciano. His penalty save from Marios Ogkmpoe against Hamilton was the latest in a now long line of important interventions this season by the Israeli.

"Ofir’s been different class with the amount of big saves he's made for us,” continued Hanlon. “We've had a good defensive record and he's a massive part of that as well. He made a real effort during lockdown with the fitness-related stuff. I don't know if that's made a massive difference to his overall game, but I know when he came back you noticed a big difference in his physique and his body. Maybe that's the reason he's getting the rewards now, but he was always a great goalie for us.”

Does Hanlon feel Marciano is underrated outside of Hibs? “Potentially,” he replied. “Everyone here really appreciates him and as a defender he’s great to have behind you. If mistakes happen outfield, you know he's there to bail you out and he has done on a number of occasions and we definitely all appreciate him here.”

More call-ups on the horizon?

It might not be long before Hibs have another internationalist in their ranks. Striker Kevin Nisbet is sitting on six goals for the season after his brace against Accies and with Scotland light on strikers, Hanlon reckons a call-up can’t be far away.

"It was another double for him on Friday and some of his link up play and the way he gets shots off is different class,” added Hanlon. “It's a nightmare to defend against it in training every day. He's top notch.

"It’s early stages for him in terms of proving himself at this level, but he's off to a flier and if he can keep that going for the majority of the season then there's no reason why he can't get a call-up."

For now, it’s probably a good thing Nisbet’s around to help club rather than country this week with the players already on national service. His fellow striker Christian Doidge has also been touted for a berth in the Wales squad. But if Hibs continue their current form, it won’t just be Marciano, Porteous and Gogic who are missing when the next international window comes along in November.

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