Michael Stewart lauds Hibs ace who has 'evolved' at Easter Road while claiming he deserves to put his feet up
The former Hearts and Manchester United man reflected on the career of a modern-day Hibs icon as he nears the end of his contract.
Michael Stewart has paid tribute to the career of Martin Boyle as his 11 year association with Hibs reaches its conclusion.
The 32-year old signed for Hibs from Dundee in 2015, helping them to Scottish Cup and Scottish Championship glory within two years of his arrival. On a personal level, he is Hibs’ top scorer in European competitions with nine goals and is also a member of the SPFL 100-club. Barring any injuries, by the end of the season, he will have featured for The Hibees over 400 times.
As the news recently broke that the Australian International would be leaving the club in the summer on the expiration of his contract, speaking on The Scottish Football Social Club alongside Peter Grant, Stewart reflected on Boyle’s stellar career in Leith and praised his versatility, loyalty and quality over the past decade. He also claimed he would like to see him now move to Australia or somewhere similar, so he can enjoy some well-earned down-time towards the end of his playing career.
Boyle ‘evolved’ during Hibs tenure
Stewart said: “He’s someone that’s evolved as a player, because when he first joined Hibs, he was pacey, but a bit erratic at times. Plus, I’ve got to say, technically, he’s improved ten-fold since he’s joined Hibs, because his deliveries, his finishing, all of that side of his game has improved over time.
“He’s changed as a player as well. He was an out and out winger, then there was a period where he played as a right wing back almost - always working up and down the line. Then in the last few years, he’s become a front man because he’s obviously not got as much of that dynamism and pace that you’re wanting in him to track back. So I think that’s elongated his career at Hibs as well.
“He’s still been very effective (towards the end of his Hibs career) and now, it will be interesting to see what transpires. Obviously he’ll be keen to get himself to the World Cup with Australia and see what transpires there and then instinctively, you’d expect him to go over there for a year or two and enjoy some sunshine!”
Grant admits you were always ‘concerned’ if Boyle was playing
Celtic icon Peter Grant added that the fact Hibs welcomed Boyle back with open arms after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Faisaly in 2022, shows just how much of an influence he had at the club. He also claimed that from an opposition’s point of view, he was a nightmare.
Grant said: “Anybody that takes somebody back to their club, you can always tell they’ve got an influence there. He’s been very positive with the younger players. You see they’ve got some young new strikers in and he’s helping them out and his work ethic for his team was terrific, he’s always be non-stop and a pest.
“Maybe he doesn’t score as many as he should with the opportunities he gets. But he was one of these guys when playing against him, you were always concerned about him because he can get a chance out of nothing with his pace. Even the other day against Livingston he nearly got a penalty kick because of his pace but I’m sure he’ll go away with Hibs fans’ best wishes at the end of the season.”