Martin Boyle chances of facing Hearts in Hampden semi-final rated as Hibs boss defends Hanley striker decision
St Mirren away a must-win for team sitting bottom after 10 games
Hibs hope to have Martin Boyle feeling well enough to face Hearts in Sunday’s Edinburgh derby blockbuster at Hampden, as the veteran attacker continues to recover from a tummy bug that ruled him out of last weekend’s home loss to Celtic. And new manager Marink Reedijk has responded to criticism of his decision to throw Grant Hanley into a centre forward role in emergency circumstances against the league leaders – claiming that the Scotland centre half had done his duty by turning the Celtic penalty box into a “war zone.”
Three games into his reign as gaffer, Reedijk is still looking for a first win, with Dundee United, Falkirk and now Celtic all having taken maximum points from their encounters with Hibs. Boyle, who reported for duty at Easter Road on Sunday but went home as his team were kicking off against the champions on Sunday, did not train this morning.
Attacker struggling with sickness
Ruling him out of the St Mirren game, Reedijk said: “So, based on the game on last Sunday, Martin went out sick. He’s still sick, so Martin will not be available. Nobody who missed Sunday comes back.”
Boyle is expected to shrug off the sickness in time to face Hearts in an eagerly anticipated Premier Sports Cup semi-final at the national stadium, however, Reedijk saying: “Of course, I hope he will be back. The thing is he needs to be healthy, he needs to be fit and until now he wasn't yet fully fit. So then we focus with him on Sunday.”
The Dutch coach said he appreciated applause from the home fans after the 2-1 loss to Celtic, saying: “The reaction after the game on Sunday was for me a reflection of that we are going the right way. That we bring something to the pitch where the people can identify, and then no matter the result, they see, okay, we make progress.
“Ad of course, everybody wants to win. Celtic, it's not an easy game to win, but if you can compete with this team in this way, I think that's the good way.
Hibs need to ‘improvise’ to cover for seven injuries
“We have a few injuries, I think. Off the top of my head seven. Then you need to improvise with the with the ingredients you have at that moment in order to change the game.
“And is it my preferred situation to bring Grant Hanley as a striker, which he did fantastic? And again, I thank him for this because this is a sacrifice for the team, and it shows that he's a real team player
“And he changed the game. He did change the game by just coming in and creating chaos, and that's one of the things which we need, if we want to succeed.
“We need to do it with the players we have available. We have to speak with the players have available, and then we go from there.”
Hibs have come in for criticism, in some quarters, over a lack of depth that left them relying on a 34-year-old centre-half as a striker as they chased a goal against Celtic. Asked about his conversations with Hanley before making the bold switch with eight minutes of regulation time remaining on Sunday, Reedijk revealed that he’d always had the option in his mind – and had prepared the veteran defender for a surprise stint in the No. 9 position.
“I had it in my head before the game,” he said, adding: “I told him just after the break. If it stays the same, then this is a potential thing I'm thinking of.
“And then when he came on, it was just: ‘What do I have to do?’ I told him to make it a little bit of a war zone up front – and make chaos. He’s not (starting at) striker tomorrow, I think. No, no, no. Not at all.”