Hibs star Leah Eddie opens up about her new role in the team ahead of Celtic trip

With Hibs amidst an injury crisis, Leah Eddie now finds herself in a more flexible role as she pivots between a defender and midfielder.

The 22-year-old has traditionally covered the backline for Hibs throughout her time at Leith. However, with Rachael Boyle, Shannon McGregor and Michaela McAlonie all out on the sidelines, Eddie has had to step up into the middle of the field to cover for the team.

“It's different,” she explained to the Edinburgh Evening News. “I have had experience with it before here and there. I am happy to fill in there and it’s what the manager wants me to do. If that’s what is best for the team, I am happy to do it but I don’t know if I will be there often. It kind of has to be done for now and I am happy to do that for the team.”

Sitting fifth in the SWPL, Hibs only have six games of the season left as they aim to catch fourth place Hearts. However, the capital club face a tough run of fixtures as they prepare to face the top three and Hearts within a two-week period. Hibs travel to Celtic this Sunday as they aim to influence the title race.

Leah Eddie currently has two caps for Scotland. Credit: Malcolm Mackenzie

“We are coming in on the back of a game we wanted and really needed to win,” Eddie added. “We are looking to really put things right on Sunday. Celtic are on a good run; they have just got themselves into the Scottish Cup final so they will be coming in looking to continue what they have been doing. It will be a really hard game, but we are putting things in place, training hard and planning so we can try to and eliminate their strengths and exploit their weaknesses.

“We are not where we want to be at, but we are still trying to be positive, taking each game as it comes and looking to do our best. Even though results may not have gone our way, we are progressively taking positives away from the games and we are just looking to put them all in place at once so we can actually come away from the game and take something from it, unlike previous games. Hopefully, on Sunday, everything works out and we can take something.”