'They expected me to get booked, not score' - Jake Doyle-Hayes is Hibs' jewel in the crown as Emerald Isle visitors bring good luck

Jake Doyle-Hayes had 27 friends over from Ireland to watch him score not one but two stunning goals from distance as he opened his account for Hibs and led the Easter Road side to a first Scottish Premiership win of 2022.

Not exactly known for his prowess in the final third, the midfielder joked that the pre-match chat had centred around the chances of him being cautioned. Scoring once, never mind twice, would have been a bolt from the blue – or green.

"I had my fiancee in the stand and 27 boys from Ireland. But they were probably expecting me to get a yellow card rather than score a goal,” he laughed afterwards.

The former Aston Villa youngster may need to call on his lucky entourage again, for this was quite possibly his best display in a green and white shirt.

Jake Doyle-Hayes wheels away after scoring his second of the afternoon against Ross County

"They’re over for the weekend just to see the game, they had a bit of time off work so they came over. I’ll have to get them back next weekend now,” he joked.

"I’m delighted to score but honestly, I’m more delighted to get the three points for the team. We need to build on this momentum; we’re up to fourth now in the table and we’ve some big games coming up.”

Practice makes perfect

Doyle-Hayes struck his long-range goals on 50 and 78 minutes and revealed that the team had been working on it in training.

Doyle-Hayes put in a barnstorming performance in midfield, with his two goals the least he deserved

"Every few days we work on them; the gaffer has us working on them after training. It’s very competitive, everybody wants to win in training and everybody’s trying their hardest. Luckily I pulled it off in a game and I’m delighted.

“I know I need to shoot more. After I scored the first the whole crowd is screaming, ‘shoot, shoot’ – they’re even screaming that when I’m at the half-way line – but I’m just glad to get the three points.”

The Irishman is adamant that Hibs are heading in the right direction as they look to claw their way back into the European spots. Saturday’s win took them up to fourth on goal difference and the key now is to stay there and, potentially, chase down Hearts in third.

“Before the game we weren't sitting in a great place in the table and we all knew that. We believe in what the gaffer wants us to do, we're taking everything on board and we know we have a talented squad so we know we can push on.

Doyle-Hayes revealed the team has been spending extra time on shooting drills in training

“We believe in ourselves and we know we can pick up more points.”

Old head on young shoulders?

Doyle-Hayes was, incredibly, one of the older heads in the Hibs team on Saturday. The Cavan man only turned 23 on December 30 but with the likes of Paul Hanlon, Paul McGinn, and Joe Newell out injured there were just four players in the starting team older than him; a strange situation, but one he took in his stride.

"Yeah, it’s a young squad but they know what they’re doing, they’re all talented players,” he mused. “Everyone knows what they can do and we believe in each other. Even the boys coming off the bench are making a difference so there’s no one in there who will let us down.

The Irish midfielder is eager to build on Hibs' first league win of 2022

"We’re all together in the dressing room and everyone wants to build on this performance.”

Make Easter Road a fortress again

After a relatively lacklustre first half the grumbles of discontent from the home fans were becoming more and more audible.

"It’s understandable the crowd were getting nervous,” Doyle-Hayes admitted. “We were at home and we need to make Easter Road a tough place to come.

“The last few weeks it hasn’t been, so I’m delighted for the fans that we won, and delighted to have scored. For everyone at the club it was a good day.”

Chasing down Hearts

Doyle-Hayes' second goal was an exquisite strike on the volley.

Hibs finished third last season for the first time in 15 years and after Saturday’s win are just nine points behind Hearts, who currently occupy the final top-three berth, but Doyle-Hayes insisted that the players aren’t focused on that – not yet, anyway.

"We’re not looking at any one team and thinking we need to catch them,” he claimed.

“But we need to aim high and we know what it means to the fans. We’re going to keep pushing. We have to keep pushing."

International hopes?

Doyle-Hayes will be cursing his luck that it was his error against St Mirren that led to compatriot Connor Ronan netting the winner in front of Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny earlier this month but if he keeps up the level of performance he put in against the Staggies then Kenny could well be making his way back to Easter Road in the not-too-distant future to check up on the Ballyjamesduff midfielder.

St Mirren’s Jamie McGrath, now at Wigan Athletic, proved that consistent performances in the Scottish Premiership can result in a call-up. Doyle-Hayes has represented his country at under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 level.

Competition for berths in the middle of the park in the Irish squad is potentially at an all-time high with the likes of Alan Browne, Josh Cullen, Conor Hourihane, and Jayson Molumby all vying for places in the squad.

Doyle-Hayes is still young so has time on his side, but if he can keep putting in strong performances and help push Hibs up the table then he could find his way into the senior national team sooner rather than later.

It would seem premature to expect too much of Doyle-Hayes after one sparkling performance. But plenty of players in Doyle-Hayes’ position have earned international recognition while at Hibs. If Maloney can keep coaxing displays like this from the dynamic midfielder then there is every possibility he could join them in the future.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.