Hibs end-of-season awards for 2022/23: Best player, best goal, biggest tactical gaffe, lowest moment
The 2022/23 season for Hibs will very much be remembered depending on what happens on the final day. Beat Hearts and move into third place and it’ll be a qualified success. Sure there will be some regret they shot themselves in the foot many times, which ultimately cost them of getting group-stage European football next term, but ultimately it’ll provide a happy ending and real hope for the future. A draw or defeat on the other hand, and they’re again looking up at their biggest rivals and Aberdeen between them and the position they want to be in.
There’s been a real mixture of good and bad, and that’s reflected in these awards...
1. Best Player - Elie Youan
Had injuries not robbed Kevin Nisbet or Martin Boyle of large chunks of this season, the likelihood is one of them would have scooped up this award. With what's left, there’s little doubt the Youan has been the most impressive of those who've been consistently available. He largely flattered to deceive before January, but since then he’s been electric. His decision-making, finishing and final ball have all improved. It was a no-brainer for Hibs to make his loan move from St Gallen permanent. Photo: Roddy Scott
2. Most Improved Player - Josh Campbell
Rocky Bushiri would have been in serious consideration for this if not for his ankle injury in January, which robbed him of the second half of this season. So the obvious award winner is Campbell. His form has tailed off a little in recent weeks, but there’s no doubt he’s improved a lot from last season. Having been an uncomfortable fit as a deeper midfielder in Shaun Maloney’s system, he excelled this term playing further forward and using his energy to attack the box. Nine goals has been the reward. Photo: Roddy Scott - SNS Group
3. Best Team Performance - 6-0 v Aberdeen
This was a tremendously important match for the club and manager Lee Johnson. Only those in charge will know if he’d have been sacked if this game went south. What's certain is that this match came at a point where Hibs were on a miserable run and the possibility of getting sucked into a relegation battle didn’t seem outwith the realms of possibility. Instead, they came out and absolutely thumped the Dons, with Jim Goodwin getting the boot as a result. It’s not exactly been all plain-sailing since then, though there has been enough of an improvement to suggest next season under Johnson could be a much better one. Photo: Craig Williamson - SNS Group
4. Best Individual Performance - Josh Campbell v Aberdeen
Sticking with the hammering of the Dons, Campbell was absolutely excellent during that game. Bagging a hat-trick certainly helped make it a memorable performance, but that wasn’t all. He did everything right in the centre of the park: battling for possession, breaking up Aberdeen’s play, linking with his team-mates and getting up to support striker Elie Youan. It really was a complete performance. Photo: Paul Devlin - SNS Group