Hibs make decision over goalkeeping crisis as attacker heads out on loan to fellow Scottish Premiership side

Hibs have recalled goalkeeper Murray Johnson from his loan deal at Queen of the South as a solution to their goalkeeping troubles.

The Easter Road side lost both David Marshall and summer signing Jojo Wollacott on Thursday evening as they took on Inter Club d'Escaldes in the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.

Marshall pulled up in the warm-up, while Wollacott appeared to injure his thigh taking a goal kick. Neither is likely to make Sunday’s visit of St Mirren in the cinch Premiership season opener, with Max Boruc in line to start after the 20-year-old cousin of ex-Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc came on for his debut in the 6-1 win over the Andorran side.

Manager Lee Johnson spoke about the possibility of Hibs bringing in an emergency transfer to provide some depth at the position, however they’ve decided instead to bring Johnson back from Palmerston.

Murray Johnson was sent out on loan to Queen of the South for the season. He will return to Hibs as emergency cover on a rolling week-by-week basis. Picture: SNS

The deal will initially be as emergency goalkeeper cover for seven days, though the club can extend this on a rolling week-by-week basis if necessary.

Meanwhile, Hibs winger Daniel MacKay has joined Livingston on loan for the duration of the 2023/24 season with an option to buy.

The 22-year-old signed from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the summer of 2021. His arrival followed an impressive season in the Scottish Championship when he netted nine goals in 30 appearances as a youngster, but he has so far failed to make much of an impact at Easter Road, struggling to break into the starting XI under a series of managers. In total for Hibs he’s played seven times and scored once.

He spent the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan at Kilmarnock as he helped Derek McInnes’ men win the second-tier title, before rejoining Inverness on loan for the duration of last season, including scoring off the bench in the 2023 Scottish Cup final loss to Celtic.

Daniel Mackay joined Hibs in the summer of 2021. Picture: SNS

The Glasgow-born wide man will seek to make a similar impact in West Lothian as former Hibs team-mate Stephen Bradley, who impressed for David Martindale’s men after joining on a permanent deal in the last January transfer window.