Hibs still work in progress as league kick-off looms - but can they begin with a bang?

L-R: Miller, Newell and Obita all played their part in yesterday's win. | SNS Group

So are you feeling confident, Hibs fans? Displeased that Sunday morning arrived to interrupt that technicolour dream you were having about the mighty opening blow to be struck in the 2024-25 league campaign?

Apologies for just the slightest hint of sarcasm. Consider it an essential element of the oil that lubricates the wheels of Scottish football. Mixed with gallows humour and blind faith, it forms a necessary defence against the daily frictions that threaten to bring this runaway charabanc grinding to a halt.

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The truth, according to the prevailing mood around Easter Road? Even if they do land a centre forward before this weekend’s first round of Scottish Premiership fixtures, David Gray’s Hibs – very much an early work in progress – would still be considered outsiders in their contest with St Mirren in Paisley. Even if the hosts might be flat-out knackered by their exertions in the Europa Conference League, second qualifying round on Thursday night.

If Gray ISN’T able to add some frontline oomph to a team currently operating on a chance conversion ratio directly inverse to their need for goals, of course, the odds against Hibs will justifiably drift even further towards unbackable territory. The absence of a proper No. 9 is so glaring that astronauts on the International Space Station could spot the problem just by looking out of the nearest window.  

Leaving aside that one issue, though, what have we learned from the games played leading up to this weekend’s big kick-off? Taking everything from those first pre-season kickabouts to the final knockings of an oddly unsatisfying Premier Sports Cup campaign, what do we know about Gray’s Hibs?

They need Warren O’Hora to be OK

The Irish centre-half has quickly proven himself to be crucial to Hibs. Not just because he does the basics well. But because of the added extras he brings to the game.

Without O’Hora there to play out from the back, either by breaking the lines with passes or pulling teams out of shape with quick switches of play, occasionally even galloping forward himself, Hibs lose a much-needed added dimension to their play. When he’s not there, captain Joe Newell has to constantly drop from midfield to take the ball from his central defenders.

Opponents know that. They see it coming. And can play five to ten yards further forward because of it.

O’Hora did not look in a good way when he went down after half an hour of yesterday’s 4-0 win over Peterhead, signalling almost immediately that he needed to come off. Gray described the problem as an “impact injury.” Here’s hoping it doesn’t impact on Hibernian’s hopes of starting the season with a bang.

Young Rudi has been a revelation

We’re all guilty of getting carried away by teen sensations who come barrelling into first teams with a degree of swashbuckling swagger. And it’s important to remember that Rudi Molotnikov is still only 18 – which means he’s likely to have a few downs to go with the ups he’s enjoyed since breaking into the first team.

But the attacking midfielder’s performances on the left wing have been good enough to catch the eye. And the fact that he’s now got a couple of senior goals, bagging his second in some style yesterday, shouldn’t be overlooked.

Gray, assessing the youngster’s impact, said: "He's been excellent. It was great to see him score; he was a wee bit disappointed with the chance he missed in the first half.

"It's great he's getting into these positions. Training with us every day and imposing himself in training, he's done that for a number of weeks now.

"It's great to see him imposing himself on games now. He's got great attributes and he's just got to keep his head down and keep working hard on the areas he can improve."

Midfield scorers are worth their weight in gold

Especially in a team not overloaded with striking talent, the ability of midfielders to bang in a few goals can be priceless. After all, it’s not as if right back Lewis Miller is going to bag a double every week …

Nathan Moriah-Welsh took his goal against Peterhead really well, finally getting on the end of another searching Jordan Obita cross, Gray noting: "It was a great goal, a good move in general. We won the ball back straight away, passed it forward quickly. Dylan Levitt did it right away.

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“Jordan Obita ran the length of the pitch to support and then we are getting bodies in the box. I think Nathan took the goal well and he was excellent in the game. He was someone played with a bit of intensity all day, showing aggression to win the ball back. It's great to see him on the scoresheet as well.”

To Paisley, then

Wins over Elgin, Queen’s Park and Peterhead, offset by last weekend’s embarrassing loss to Kelty, provide only so much intel on how Hibs will fare against a St Mirren side who finished three places above them last season. But few expect it to be an easy afternoon for the visitors.

“The full focus switches to the first league game of the season and that is a completely different challenge to what we've faced, no disrespect to anyone we've played so far,” said Gray of the Buddies, the new boss adding: “They've obviously got a big European tie on Thursday; we wish them well in that. You want the Scottish teams to do well. We look forward to a different challenge over there.”