Hibs' best players, worst signing, goal of season and more - our writers give their verdict on season so far

Martin Boyle has been a revelation since returning from injury.

ALAN PATTULLO

Player of the season: Remarkably in a season where the new centre forward has scored 18 times, including two hat tricks, Martin Boyle seems the obvious choice. He has returned from injury not only as good as before, but arguably better. There was a spell at the turn of the year when he scored or assisted eight of his side’s previous nine goals. He’s indispensable, as Jack Ross himself has acknowledged.

Moment of the season: Few moments stand out – yet. Perhaps it is still to come in the form of Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Hearts, maybe even another Scottish Cup win. But Boyle’s expertly tucked away second goal in the 2-0 win at Tynecastle on Boxing Day after Scott Allan dispossessed Loic Damour all but confirmed Hibs’ victory by half-time while underlining what a long, hard season it promised to be for their rivals.

Goal of the season: There have probably been far more aesthetically pleasing goals, and it only secured a point v St Mirren, but the way Christian Doidge arced his back to reach a Stephane Omeonga cross that was slightly behind him to head in the equaliser in the 2-2 draw with the Paisley side lives in the memory. It was a sign of a striker operating on full confidence.

Best signing: Difficult to look beyond Christian Doidge, who a few weeks into the season looked a dead cert for the biggest dud award. With Hibs having paid a relatively large fee for him, he is only really doing what was expected of him. But still, 18 goals by March is good going – particularly when he only found his shooting boots in November.

Worst signing: Josh Vela. Introduced to the fans as a box-to-box midfielder while having suspiciously few goals to his name, there was little to get excited about when he arrived from Bolton Wanderers. There is even less now after 14 appearances. Now with Shrewsbury Town.

One to watch when football finally resumes: The shutdown has been painful for all concerned but it’s proved particularly so for someone such as James Gullan, who was just edging his way into the Hibs team after a productive spell on loan at Raith Rovers. Indeed, he made his first league start at Aberdeen in the last match before the season was suspended. He had also just scored his first senior goal for the club v Inverness in the Scottish Cup.

PATRICK McPARTLIN

Player of the season: Martin Boyle probably edges this, although Christian Doidge and Scott Allan run him close. He was sorely missed as he recovered from injury but a last-gasp equaliser on his return and doubles in wins against Aberdeen and Hearts illustrated his importance to the team. His pace and eye for goal make him a handful for every team Hibs face – it’s no coincidence that the team is blunted if Boyle is kept shackled.

Moment of the season: Many fans may highlight the Boxing Day win over Hearts but, for me, Christian Doidge’s hat-trick against St Johnstone pips it. With Hibs badly needing a win, and the much-maligned Welshman desperately needing goals, his treble was the first sign that shelling out a six-figure sum to obtain his services may not have been as questionable as once thought and also sparked a turnaround in Hibs’ season.

Goal of the season: Several candidates for this award – Stevie Mallan’s derby thronker or Jason Naismith almost bursting the net against Kilmarnock stand out, as do any of the goals in the 3-0 win over Aberdeen. However, Greg Docherty’s curled finish against Killie at Rugby Park takes some beating. Precision, placement, perfection.

Best signing: It has to be Christian Doidge, and not just for his goals. That the striker has gone from “costly flop” to serious contender for the Wales national team highlights the upward trajectory his Hibs career has taken. Even when he doesn’t find the net, he’s laying on goals for others or bullying centre-halves. I can’t imagine too many defenders look forward to 90 minutes of trying to keep Doidge quiet.

Worst signing: Glenn Middleton’s signing made total sense on paper – highly-rated winger, European experience, like-for-like replacement for Martin Boyle – but for whatever reason it just didn’t click for him at Easter Road. Two assists in his first two games suggested Hibs had bagged a gem but he rapidly faded out of the picture.

One to watch when football finally resumes: Jamie Gullan has already shown in his fleeting appearances that he more than deserves his place in the Easter Road first team. The sudden suspension of football came at a harsh time for the forward, who netted his first senior goal less than a fortnight before the hiatus, but he’ll be raring to go when things are back up and running again.

AIDAN SMITH

Player of the season: Scott Allan. I know, I know, his form hasn’t been great since the winter break, but there have been some classic Allan moments and diamond passes during those difficult months under Paul Heckingbottom – and I’m not just talking about the “Pass of the Century” at Ibrox about which Hibs fans have had to endure much teasing. A reverse ball from Allan will always outscore 20 lusty tackles from left-back in my book.

Moment of the season: This wasn’t a great moment, but it was a defining moment in the campaign so far (with the Scottish Cup semi-final hopefully still to come). When Heckingbottom blamed the fans’ nervousness for yet another late collapse by his team, it was the beginning of the end (though some might say this came earlier when he tried to use sarcasm, never a good move by a manager, and queried: “I didn’t know there was a law against substituting Scott Allan.”).

Goal of the season: Stevie Mallan can hit a ball, no doubt about that. Why he can’t run, tackle, head the ball and all the other things George Best once said David Beckham couldn’t do, is another debate. The best goal has to be his strike against Hearts last September, a rocket from 25 yards which swerved into the postage-stamp corner – a PlayStation goal fit to win the derby but, in this mixed, meh season, didn’t.

Best signing: If the campaign hadn’t been interrupted then Greg Docherty was beginning to put together a body of work which, had it continued, might have earned him this distinction – so it has to be Christian Doidge who at first couldn’t score in a house of ill-repute and then couldn’t stop finding the net, even if he sometimes needed his knee, chest, shoulders and ears to scramble and sclaff the ball over the line.

Worst signing: This was a keenly-fought contest when a half-dozen of Heckingbottom’s recruits – unable to get in the team – were fighting it out for the least prominent seats in the technical area, hopefully out of range of the grumbles from the West Stand. But the prize must go to Josh Vela who for a midfielder in a struggling side pulled off the near-impossible trick of being invisible until popping up with a sideways pass in the 63rd minute, then invariably being hooked in the 64th.

One to watch when football finally resumes: This is a tough one. Ryan Porteous is passionate, erratic but earned a Scotland call-up before injury wrecked his season. Fraser Murray is still striving for a return to the promise he showed before his long lay-off. Oli Shaw has gone to Ross County. Which leaves Jamie Gullan, the only kid to break through under Jack Ross, a burly lad with an eye for goal. Staying the course at Hibs has been a problem for many youngsters before him. No pressure, then.

MOIRA GORDON

Player of the season: Martin Boyle – out with injury, he was a huge miss at the start of the season as the side struggled to find enough pace and width without his industry and rakish ability to pick pockets by piling in on defences and applying pressure. He has a willingness to run at and in behind opponents, while his pace allows him to get back swiftly to help his defence if there is a need to smother counter-attacks. A bubbly personality, there is also an effervescence to the way he plays that can ignite the fire and belief in his team-mates. A major factor in Hibs’ metamorphosis from lower league strugglers to European hopefuls by the time the league was halted.

Moment of the season: St Johnstone 1 Hibernian 4, November 9, 2019 – There have been more notable scalps and moments of individual genius but this was the match that offered fans hope. Scrambling around in the lower reaches of the league, this was the first match after Paul Heckingbottom had been sacked and, ending a run of ten league games without a win, it showed they had some fight and also proved to be the awakening of goal machine Christian Doidge.

Goal of the season: Martin Boyle v Aberdeen, December 7, 2019 – this was a delightful goal and it provided tangible reward, setting the Leith side on their way to just their second league win over the Pittodrie side in 17 attempts. Relying on Scott Allan’s vision, and ability to create space for himself in a busy midfield, he cut inside and seeing the gaps in front of him, and from deep in midfield, he threaded through an inch perfect pass for Martin Boyle to run onto, nipping in ahead of the out-rushing Joe Lewis, to round the keeper and stroke into the empty net. It was the first of three goals without reply that day and gave new boss Jack Ross his third win in five games.

Best signing: Christian Doidge – there were a fair few people, myself included, who doubted former Hibs boss Paul Heckingbottom’s judgment in not only signing but paying loot for this Welshman. His early outings were uninspiring as he took time to settle but since he finally found his feet, hitting a hat-trick against St Johnstone in November, his goalscoring contributions have been invaluable to the side.

Worst signing: Josh Vela – in a team that lacked balance, and enough players who could deal with the tempo and combative nature of the Scottish Premiership, Josh Vela was another who struggled to fit in. His abilities, such that they are, were not what was needed to shore up the side and offer defensive protection nor was he possessed of the penetrative prowess of guys like Allan, which left him surplus to requirements and, after Heckingbottom moved on, he quickly followed him out the door.

One to watch when football finally resumes: Jamie Gullan – the promising youngster had been earning rave reviews from his manager, Jack Ross, and the coaching staff. A loan spell at Raith Rovers at the beginning of the campaign had toughened him up and bolstered belief, and he had been elevated to trusted first-team player and was a lively option for the boss and also showed he could weigh in with goals, netting his first, in the Scottish Cup quarter-final v Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

JOEL SKED

Player of the season: Christian Doidge. While there have been some excellent individual performances from the likes of Scott Allan and Martin Boyle, Doidge has turned into a talismanic figure. Eighteen goals has some return even more so after not hitting the back of the net in the first 11 league games. More than that, it is the story attached to the Welshman. He was never as bad as some made out but the transformation was great to see.

Moment of the season: Sticking on the Doidge theme, his hat-trick at St Johnstone was a pivotal moment in his Hibs career. Failing to score in the league under Paul Heckingbottom, in the first game post-Hecky he does that. Paired with Florian Kamberi, they ran St Johnstone ragged. His first in the 4-1 win always raises a smile as he misses an easy chance to begin with before finishing the rebound. The hat-trick was met by iconic Hibs TV commentary. Hat-trick Boy!

Goal of the season: There are a fair few crackers to pick from but Martin Boyle’s opener in the 3-0 win over Aberdeen was so good. Boyle hung out by the touchline as Scott Allan had the ball in the middle of the pitch. The Hibs duo were on the same wavelength, Boyle making a diagonal dart to meet Allan’s sumptuous pass, made all the better with the speedster’s composure, flicking the ball over Joe Lewis before scoring. If Hibs were on Digital Radio, Aberdeen were very much analog.

Best signing: With Doidge being awarded player of the season there could be a few contenders but I think Greg Docherty would have gone on to have such an influence. In the eight games he had played he had already made his mark. You could see why Jack Ross was so keen to get him on board. He really made Hibs such a fearful counter-attacking and dynamic team. More than his physical attributes, he proved himself to be an excellent footballer who could contribute in the final third.

Worst signing: The easy answer would be Josh Vela. I remember his final game for the club, the 5-2 defeat by Celtic in the Betfred Cup final, Hibs fans were incandescent with his presence in the team. But Chris Maxwell takes some beating. Ofir Marciano may have had some poor moments but I can’t fathom how anyone could make a case for Maxwell being superior to the Israeli. Baffling.

One to watch when the football finally resumes: Josh Doig was on loan at Queen’s Park prior to the shutdown and by all accounts doing a very good job. I was at the Reserve Cup match between Hearts and Hibs earlier in the season and he was one of very few players who impressed on a difficult pitch. Strong, athletic, commanding and confident on the ball. It felt like I was watching Lewis Stevenson’s successor but was then told by Lee Makel that he may be moulded into a centre-back. Either way, Hibs have an impressive talent on their hands.