'Like an old-school target man' - Marc McNulty on why Hibs striker Christian Doidge is the perfect strike partner

Pair combined during second half of 2019/20 season

Marc McNulty celebrates a goal with Christian Doidge against Ross County

Marc McNulty has already seen the blossoming partnership between Hibs strikers Christian Doidge and Kevin Nisbet bear fruit, but reckons the duo are only just getting started.

The Reading forward, who played alongside the Welshman in the latter half of the 2019/20 campaign, saw first-hand what the former Forest Green Rovers hitman brings to the club and explained why he was such a joy to play alongside.

"I think Christian Doidge is the type of striker who anybody could play with,” said McNulty. “He’s just like an old-school target man. I know he’s not a big, massive boy, but he is deceptively good in the air.”

The 27-year-old struck 18 times last term after a rocky start to his time in green and white, and he has scored in both of his two starts so far this season – in the 4-1 win against Livingston, and Tuesday night’s narrow victory against Dundee United.

Summer signing Nisbet has also caught the eye, scoring a hat-trick in West Lothian and linking up with Martin Boyle for the opening goal against Kilmarnock in the season opener.

But McNulty believes it is the hard yards put in by Doidge that makes life more simple for his strike partners. The forward has played alongside Jamie Gullan and Florian Kamberi as well as McNulty in his relatively short time at Hibs so far.

"He wins most of his headers, and he looks like a really good partner for Nisbet. He’s a pretty big guy as well, but he seems to like getting the ball into his feet, so I think they complement each other really well.

"Having played alongside Doidge, he does a lot of the donkey work, and it really does help the other striker.

"He wins the ball, he makes space, and he makes it tough for the defenders and all that makes it a lot easier for whoever’s alongside him.”