Michael Weir: Paul Heckingbottom got Hibs team right on Saturday – he needs to again

Paul Heckingbottom probably couldn’t have asked for much more in his first game in charge: a solid, comfortable win.

Paul Heckingbottom started off his Hibs tenure with a victory. Pic: SNS

It’s going to take him a wee while to assess the squad he has at Easter Road and to decide how he wants to shape it in the longer term, but I felt the did their right thing in going with the team which had beaten Raith Rovers the previous week.

Given the result against Hamilton, I wouldn’t be surprised if he names the same starting XI for Dens Park on Friday night as the key for any side is that the players who have the jersey have to try to keep it, whereas I’d felt that for a good while there had been too many changes made from week to week. We never seemed to have a settled side, although injuries did play a part in that.

In time, Heckingbottom will impose his own system, but from what I’ve read he’s a manager with a reputation for wanting to play quick, attacking football, getting forward, putting pressure on the opposition high up the pitch and scoring goals which will go down well with the Hibs support.

The win at the weekend also pulled us just that little bit closer to the upper half of the table and will have also helped raise confidence again.

The way the fixtures are this weekend, with us playing Dundee on the Friday night, we have a chance. If we can win what will be a tough game, to put a little bit of pressure on the likes of St Johnstone and Motherwell who have difficult games against Aberdeen and Celtic respectively.

This would be the ideal time to get on a run. I’ve always been a great believer in how you finish a season, not how you started it.

If we can finish strongly then that initial aim of claiming a top six finish will be achievable. Time is getting short with the number of games before the split dwindling quickly but as the days pass, Heckingbottom and his assistant Robbie Stockdale will be able to get their message over to the players as to how they want them to play.

It’s been a promising start for the new boss, but he’ll be aware as anyone it’s now vital that continues.