Hibs keep tight hold on Sunderland prospect as skipper revels in freedom - talking points from Motherwell win

Clause or no clause, and regardless of whatever fine print some fast-talking negotiator may have inserted in paragraph 12, page three of the loan agreement, there is no way Hibs will be letting Nectar Triantis return to Sunderland before the end of the season. He’s quickly become too important to a team steadily ascending the Scottish Premiership table.

As David Gray’s men head into a ten-game stretch before Scotland’s top flight breaks into two leagues of six, there are now genuine hopes – even expectations – that Hibs will be on the right side of the dividing line when the split comes. Having lost just one of their previous ten games, repairing most of the damage done in a brutally bad start to the campaign, they’re even entitled to fancy their chances of getting in among the race for Europe.

Are the stars just aligning for Gray, then? Is he merely reaping the delayed rewards of all the work he put in swimming against a rip tide that threatened to drag him under before he’d even begun his managerial adventure in earnest?

Things would certainly appear on the up. And nobody, least of all the gaffer, is in the mood to upset the momentum.

Sweet Nectar staying put

In the aftermath of today’s impressive 3-1 home win over Motherwell, Gray made it clear that Man of the Match Triantis will not/cannot be recalled by Sunderland during the January transfer window, saying: “No, he'll still be here (until the end of the season), which is great. I don't know that 100 per cent, but I think that is the case, which is positive.

“I think that was a big draw for myself, was trying to get him at the start of the season, because of what we believed he could give us. Now the challenge for him is to keep improving, keep getting better every single day, and it's my job and the rest of the staff's job to make sure we do that.

“He needs to keep working hard, keep improving, and I think when you look at what he's done since he's come into the club, he's getting fitter all the time as well, which is a big thing. It's a different fitness required to play in the middle of the pitch than it is to play as a centre-back, a different level of intensity, especially in this league. It's a real robust league in the middle of the pitch, there's a lot of energy required to play in there, and I think he's improving every week, which is great, and he needs to continue to do that.

We’ve got you surrounded ... Hibs players congratulate MOTM Triantis on his second goal of the season. | SNS Group

“He's still young, you forget how young he is, only a 21-year-old, and he's got that attitude and desire to keep improving, that's the big thing. As a coach, it's brilliant to work with players like that, that are desperate to improve.

“Even though he is a loan player, he's still someone that I think he's shown when he came in, he's very much part of the team and really enjoying his football at the moment, which is great.”

Triantis was outstanding today, even leaving aside the anticipation, athleticism and accuracy displayed in grabbing his second goal for Hibs. Victory was built on the performance of a young man who, despite the occasional backwards step, can definitely feel like he’s benefited enormously from this second loan stint with Hibs.

Strength runs deep

Dylan Levitt looked comfortable in his first start since August 11. Warren O’Hora strolled through 90 minutes on his return from a foot injury, having missed out on three games since playing in the Boxing Day win over Hearts at Tynecastle.

Lewis Miller, given a rest from central defensive duties by O’Hora starting, came off the bench for Chris Cadden at right wingback – and made an immediate impact. All over the pitch, substitutes, stand-ins and contenders were making their presence felt.

But the strength in depth available to Gray was probably best illustrated by how Hibs coped with the early loss of Nicky Cadden, who left the field with a suspected broken nose. Jordan Obita, voted player of the season by fans and team-mates last year, came off the bench and immediately set up a goal.

With Kieron Bowie and Mykola Kuharevich both potentially back as early as next weekend’s Scottish Cup tie at home to Clydebank, and Elie Youan not much further a way from full fitness, the options available to Gray could quickly become fairly tantalising. And that’s BEFORE the Black Knights deliver the ‘X Factor’ signing being teased early in this window.

Skipper’s free-running role

Martin Boyle deserves all the accolades after banging in back-to-back doubles. Bagging two-goal hauls in consecutive games underlines just how vital he’s become since breaking back into the starting XI as a forward, rather than a wide player.

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Asked to shoulder extra responsibility as skipper in the absence of injured club captain Joe Newell, the Socceroos star is also being given freedom to roam wherever he feels the opposition might feel it worst, Gray explaining: “He's never going to be your No. 9 focal point striker with his physicality, but what he does do is he's obviously got that pace and anticipation on that last line, that if he gets the opportunity, he's really dangerous, and we're benefiting from that at the moment. We're really also benefiting from the fact he's playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of belief in himself again, having gone through a difficult time at the start of the season playing with injuries, a bit of loss of form, chasing his form a little bit, and dealing with the responsibilities that come with that.

“I've moved him into that leadership role and the responsibility that comes with that. He came under criticism during the season, which is something he's probably never faced in his career here, so it's great to see him coming out the other side of that. And then you see it again today, his effort, his desire to make sure we got over the line today was clear even right to the very end.”