Exclusive:Hibs new boys needed to go through hell of early struggles to realise how much club means to so many

They had to go through hell to understand just how heavenly even a little taste of progress would be. Needed to feel the wrath of Hibs fans to get a full grasp on the size of this club.

For the players who signed on at Easter Road last summer, even the strongest of words from those in the know might have left the new boys second guessing some of the hype they’d heard. When the wheels went off at the start of this campaign, however, nobody was left in any doubt about how much this means to so many.

“Aye, he understands it now; he does,” said Chris Cadden, discussing the culture shock suffered by twin brother Nicky in those early days as a Hibee, the right wingback admitting: “I think he didn't. I tried to tell him how big a club it was as well and he was like: ‘Yeah, yeah, of course it is, of course it is …

“But I think when he came and obviously went through that sticky start, he realised just how big it was. It'll be the biggest club he's played for - and that's what I said to him.

“I told him: ‘Look, see when this place is good? It's one of the best places to play. Easter Road is absolutely brilliant.’

“He's absolutely loving it now. I tried to sell it to him as best I can, so hopefully he's enjoying it now and he thinks he's made the right decision, which is great.”

The Cadden boys combined for a goal in the most recent home game, a comfortable 2-0 win over Aberdeen that saw Hibs close the gap on the early league leaders to just two points. Now safely through into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, they can refocus on the next challenge – overtaking the Dons and closing in on third-placed Dundee United.

The one thing guaranteed about what Cadden calls “a sprint” to the Scottish Premiership split is that, between them, the boys will have plenty of family backing every single time Hibs play, Chris saying: “I was actually speaking to one of the boys about it the other day, because we’re clubbing our tickets together to get as many of the family to games as possible. They all absolutely love watching us play together.

Spirit and fight

“The last few games, I think it’s been mum, dad, Nicky’s in-laws, wives … they’re all coming to games. And they’re all properly invested in Hibs now.

“I've absolutely loved playing with him. I didn't know what it would be like, to be honest, but it's been really good.

“Listen, obviously Aberdeen have not been on the greatest run in the world, so they’ve fallen down the table. But the fact that we’ve closed the gap shows what we're about and shows our mentality.

“I think that was thrown at us a lot at the start of the season, probably rightly so as well. But I think we've shown over recent weeks that, even though it's not been plain sailing for all the games, we have that fight.

“We have to come back from 1-0 down and, even against Rangers, 2-0 down. So I think we've shown a real good mentality and it's a real tight group of boys in there as well, all sort of fighting for each other.

“It just shows how well a run we've been on. We can't control what Aberdeen do or what anyone else does, but it just shows the quality we've got in the dressing room to get these results.

“I think because we had a poor start to the season, it's sort of a sprint now. We've got a bit of making up to do, but the gaffer sort of sets the target every single weekend to try and catch a team in front of us.

“We’re fifth now, so we know the next target. we just need to catch a team in front of us, that's all we're doing and that's the challenge he's setting for us.”

The Hibs fans were singing David Gray’s name on Friday night at Somerset Park. Roaring out their appreciation for a former captain whose Scottish Cup-winning exploits meant that, even during that bleak beginning to the season, he was always afforded a degree of support.

Love and support for Gray

Cadden, thrilled to see his boss reaping the rewards for not pressing the panic button during that early wobble, said: “Even during the difficult times, the fans kind of stuck by the gaffer, absolutely. And he deserves it.

“He’s been absolutely great with us and as players and stuff; we can't ask any more of the gaffer and his coaching staff. We go out there, even when we weren't on a good run, it was nothing down to him or whatever.

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“We got every bit of information; we got all the patterns of play. We couldn't have asked for more as players, and he sort of stuck with the process and stuck with what he's done.

“I’m glad we’re seeing the rewards for him because of the hard work and effort that he's been putting in - and obviously I know him as a person as well. It's great for him and he deserves it.

“The Hibs fans love him and so do we; we all do. So he deserves this run as well.”

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