I watched Hibs take a great leap forward with historic Hampden win over Hearts - here's what we learned
Faith and hope rewarded with glory as Hibs raise sights for season ahead
Every good success story needs at least one Sliding Doors moment. A turning point in the narrative where everything is flipped upside down by dint of one single heroic deed, lucky bounce or – in the worst-case scenario – human error.
After yesterday’s blockbuster performance at Hampden, a historic first win against Hearts at the national stadium, everyone at Hibs will be hoping that this single afternoon in Glasgow leads them into a very different branch of the footballing multiverse. One where they exchange misery for happiness. Uh-huh etc.
In psychological terms, winning an Edinburgh derby in Mount Florida obviously has the potential to deliver more of a boost than, say, the famous 3-3 home with Aberdeen that transformed the fortunes of then-rookie boss David Gray and his players. And there are very good reasons for Hibs fans to believe that the performance behind the victory, easily the most impressive under new manager Marink Reedijk, points to a brighter future. Let’s take a look at the main talking points from a historic day at Hampden.
Faith, hope and glory
This is NOT a team lacking belief or cohesion. Both qualities that should help Hibs turn their entire season on its head.
A goal down after a little over three minutes, undoubtedly aware that all but the most optimistic fans would have begun to fear a very long, very painful experiment in cruel and inhumane punishment as their great rivals ran riot, it would have been oh so easy for these players to shrink from the challenge. Not by pulling out of tackles or letting their heads drop - capital offences in an Edinburgh derby - but by falling back on old habits.
The fact that they stuck to the plan demonstrated courage and character. It also provided evidence that they had belief in Reedijk’s philosophy. Faith led to hope led to glory. Simple.
O captains my captains
The new manager risked a lot by making Passlack captain. Not because of any doubts over a Bundesliga veteran who is well liked by his peers - but because it meant delivering an indirect snub to both Martin Boyle and Joe Newell.
The reaction of both players is a testament to more than just their professionalism. Could it prove to be a masterstroke?
Newell was phenomenal yesterday. Not just a throwback to his younger self, but a proper leader delivering on both sides of the ball. And showing the sort of composure, particularly through his involvement in both Hibs goals, that has been lacking from Hibs for … well, it goes all the way back to least season, doesn’t it?
Boyle, meanwhile, was everything Hibs fans could ever ask for. Deployed on the left wing but given freedom to roam, another smart move by Reedijk, the super-motivated veteran has now given himself a chance of joining Lewis Stevenson as the only Hibs player to win both the Scottish Cup and League Cup. Cementing his legacy as an all-time great.
A blueprint for success
Football is an arms race, when it comes to coaching. Just when you think you’ve struck upon an unbeatable scheme, someone comes along with the tactical equivalent of high explosive … and all your clever ideas are reduced to rubble.
Reedijk will know that not every single element of yesterday’s game plan will be applicable against all opponents. He does take the other team into account when preparing his team for any game.
But the basics of what we saw yesterday, what we’ve been seeing glimpses of in previous games, give Hibs a platform to build on. A shape and a set of non-negotiable principles designed to wreck the best-laid plans of anyone facing Hibs.
The manager spoke, in the aftermath of his first win on the fifth time of trying, about how his team had “dominated the game on the ball” in the first half, especially, hailing the “togetherness, the work rate, the energy and the desire” of players.” Those qualities are important because, as he puts it: “In a match you will dominate maybe, what is it, 40 minutes, some part of the game. And then the rest is survival.”
Building something
Even more impressive than their pressing work off the ball, perhaps, was how Hibs worked themselves into dangerous areas of the park. The howls of Hearts fans at Hampden were a testament to what Reedijk’s men were doing in possession.
Time and again, they resisted whatever press Hearts sent against them. Broke lines. Advanced into the final third with pace and intent.
Hearts didn’t want Martin Boyle to get on the ball in one-on-one situations against Jordi Altena. But they couldn’t prevent it.
Midfielders were finding space, Owen Elding was a menace - and, although he occasionally looked troubled near his own penalty box, Passlack appeared to be on a personal revenge mission against Josh McPake.
Don’t know much about history
Yes, the statistics are skewed by the fact that Hampden wasn’t the regular venue for semi-finals until relatively recently, in the grand story of Scottish football, Hibs and Hearts. This was only the fifth time they’d met at the national stadium.
But you can’t dismiss the historic nature of the win. It means something, becoming the first group of Hibs players to win a derby at a the national stadium.
Their reward for a job well done, of course, is the opportunity to engage in more hard graft. Starting by lifting themselves off the foot of the Scottish Premiership.
Within minutes of full-time yesterday, Reedik was turning his thoughts towards Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday night. After that?
“Hopefully we are having more history to make,” said the young Dutch coach, who certainly wouldn’t sniff at the sort of undefeated run that followed – not immediately, but not long after – that six-goal thriller against the Dons back in November of 2024. It’s only a Sliding Doors moment, after all, if it changes the entire picture.