Hibs star recovering from surgery as masked man prepares for comeback against County

Injured Hibs assist king Nicky Cadden went under the knife to repair the broken nose that left him bleeding all over the Easter Road pitch. But he’s ready for a return to the front lines - with the aid of a protective mask – for this weekend’s trip to dangerous Dingwall.

And Hibs gaffer David Gray revealed that the wide man could be inked up for the Scottish Premiership clash with Ross County in the Highlands – after suffering an unexpected side effect to the horror injury sustained in the 3-1 home win over Motherwell.

“He's had his operation on his nose, he did get it realigned, all that went well, and he's got his mask fitted,” said Gray, “He couldn't do any contact training in case you get hit on it, or the ball hits it, so he's been doing sort of physical work on his own, or in a controlled environment, so it doesn't drop off fitness wise - but should still be available for the weekend, all being well.

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“I think initially it was a bit of a breathing problem, just naturally with your nose. But he’s played so many games in such a short period of time that he won't decondition that much, and we've topped him up this week, to make sure that if everything goes well, he should be available for the weekend.

“We obviously have to make sure he feels comfortable, that his mask fits properly and all that stuff. so it's a wee bit complicated, but pretty confident that should be alright.”

Revealing that players and staff had been expressing sympathy for their injured colleague in a style to suit the brutal environment of a dressing room, Gray said: “To be fair, I think the biggest concern Nicky had was they drew on his face with permanent marker when fitting the mask – and he couldn’t get it off! So that was quite interesting, I quite enjoyed that. He still thinks he's the better looking brother, which I find hard to believe, but never mind, I’ll let him and Chris fight that one out …”

On a more serious note, Hibs will still be without club captain Joe Newell and versatile attacking threat Elie Youan for Saturday’s game, Gray admitting: “Joe still won't be ready this weekend, so the plan is still the end of the month. But he’s progressing well with the groin injury, really focusing on strengthening in the area affected.

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“I think the extra sort of week that we've given it this time should benefit him longer term. We could try to rush him through and then take the risk of him breaking down again or at least aggravating it again.

“Elie’s still stuttering a bit at the moment, which is really frustrating for both us and him. It's a foot injury, something that has taken longer than we'd like, and I keep coming up with the same answer, which is he could be fine tomorrow.”

Hibs are currently sitting just inside the top six in the Scottish Premiership table. But Don Cowie’s County, sitting tenth, are just four points behind the visitors, who are seeking their first away win over the Staggies since October of 2022.