Jamie Gullan: Why youngster can thrive as Hibs' third-choice forward

Jamie Gullan will be hoping to make an impression in the second half of the season

On transfer deadline day, a loan swap deal involving Florian Kamberi going to Rangers and Greg Docherty coming to Hibs paved the way for Reading striker Marc McNulty to return to Easter Road for a second loan spell. Hibs also submitted bids for Dunfermline Athletic forward Kevin Nisbet and Mickel Miller of Hamilton Accies.

With neither deal coming to fruition, Jamie Gullan has assumed the role of Hibs' third-choice forward for the second half of the season, unless the Capital club bring in a free agent. But the 20-year-old's cameos against Motherwell and BSC Glasgow in recent weeks suggest the former Hearts youngster has been given the nod as backup to McNulty and Christian Doidge.

Versatility

One thing working in Gullan's favour is his versatility. This is a player comfortable with playing as a centre-forward or wide left, which stands him in good stead as he looks to make an impact under head coach Jack Ross, who appears to prefer many of his charges to be capable of performing in a number of different roles.

Like Paul Heckingbottom before him, Ross often lines up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Doidge spearheading the attack and two wide men supporting - normally Martin Boyle on the right and Daryl Horgan on the left.

Heckingbottom and Ross both tried Kamberi in the wide-left position with limited success. Although the Swiss-born striker liked to cut inside, he was too often a peripheral figure and struggled to exert his influence on the game from the wide areas.

The return of McNulty gives the Easter Road side a different dimension in attack; one which Ross tried against BSC Glasgow on Sunday to great effect with the on-loan Reading striker scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win as Hibs lined up in a somewhat unconventional 3-5-2 formation.

Gullan's flexibility means he could be deployed on the left of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 set-up, as a centre-forward in a flat 4-4-2 or possibly as a left midfielder in an attacking 4-4-2 formation.

Time for a change?

Horgan started against BSC and although his pace caused the hosts' right midfielder Robbie McNab some difficulties - to the extent the former Falkirk youngster picked up a fourth-minute caution for bodychecking the Irishman - he didn't influence the game as he would have liked, and cut a dejected figure as he was replaced by Fraser Murray on the hour mark.

Gullan, by comparison, had a vicious shot on target saved by Ryan Marshall and had a hand in the fourth goal as his feint on the edge of the box foxed Jamie McCormack, allowing the substitute to slip the ball to McNulty who squared it for Docherty to finish from close range.

The former Preston wideman hasn't scored since the 3-1 win over Motherwell at Easter Road in late November and, somewhat incredibly, his only assists this season came in consecutive Betfred Cup group games against Arbroath, Elgin City and Greenock Morton.

Horgan's pace and eye for goal is well-documented - ten goals and 13 assists in 70 matches for Hibs speaks for itself - but with the winger seemingly out of form or needing a break, Ross could very well hand Gullan a chance in the coming weeks. The former St Mirren boss was well-known for bringing youth through during his time in charge of the Buddies and with Gullan and Fraser Murray both knocking on the door, Horgan's starting role could be under threat.

Make or break

It's perhaps ironic that Gullan's next outing could come against a team containing his former Easter Road development squad colleague Oli Shaw, who will be desperate to haunt his former employers as Hibs chase a first win over the Staggies this term. The Scotland Under-21 striker was given a chance under Neil Lennon but the goals and appearances dried up under Heckingbottom and Ross and he left to join Ross County on a permanent basis last month.

Gullan faces a big six months - he is under contract at Easter Road until the summer of 2022, but an impressive half-season in green and white could be the difference between him being farmed out on loan again next season, and becoming a first-team regular.

Performing well for ten minutes against a tiring Lowland League side is a different ball game to turning it on in front of 16,000 at Easter Road, or 60,000 at Celtic Park, but Gullan has shown signs of being able to cope with the step up from development games to the big time. He has bulked up and is more involved in matches whereas he had a tendency to drift out of games in the past.

It's unlikely he will be rushed into the first team, but it wasn't so long ago that Raith were hopeful of taking him on loan for the remainder of the season - that he now seems to be part of the first team shows how highly he is regarded by the staff at Easter Road.

Don't bet against him repaying their faith in the near future.