Revealed: The unsung Hibs hero who contributed so much to statement win over champions Celtic

Doing his best work in the shadows, an unsung stand-in still managed to shine in the biggest Hibs statement victory at Easter Road since … well, take your pick, really. If there were no real let-downs in Saturday’s stunning 2-1 win over reigning champions and current league leaders Celtic, a couple of genuine heroes might have been overlooked in the celebrations.

With his two goals and ridiculous work rate, Josh Campbell obviously stole the headlines. Kieron Bowie’s impact on his first start for Hibs also caught the eye. And Nectar Triantis, all elegance and vision allied to defensive strength and nous, remains a stand-out just about every time he takes the field these days.

But credit and kudos must be afforded to the man who partnered Triantis and allowed Campbell to play with such go-forward freedom against the best team in Scotland. Without the energy, aggression and ability of Nathan Moriah-Welsh, Hibs would not have been able to compete with the visitors on a sunny day in the capital.

So, yes, the Guyana international probably wouldn’t have been handed just his second league start of the season if circumstances had been a little different. Dylan Levitt’s injury and the extra recovery time needed by club captain Joe Newell, on his way back from groin surgery, opened the door – while the unavailability of both Celtic loanee Hyeokkyu Kwon and suspended new boy Alasana Manneh left David Gray with no other option, really, in one of the two ‘holding’ midfield roles.

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Talk about taking your chance, though, right? If you didn’t look any deeper than that one stat that matters most in that role, in this type of fixture, you’d identify Moriah-Welsh as a stand-out. Winning eight out of nine defensive duels put him top of the charts on a day when Celtic struggled to break through the home team’s block.

But it was on the ball where Moriah-Welsh really shone, a reflection on the 22-year-old’s commitment to becoming a more rounded player in a bid to win more game time. His positional sense and eye for driving play forward – he complete three out of four progressive passes, according to Wyscout – meant Hibs made good use of limited possession.

Photo 1 - build-up to opening Hibs goal | Wyscout

Photo 1, from the move leading up to the opening goal, demonstrates the value of having a striker like Bowie in the team. Because Moriah-Welsh and Triantis know their centre forward is going to make something of a nothing ball down the line, they’re already in position to exploit huge gaps in the Celtic midfield.

From there, of course, it’s all about the brilliant movement of Campbell – the guy is everything, everywhere, all at once for Hibs – and the vision of Triantis to find the attacking midfielder (see Photo 2). A great team goal.

Photo 2 - Nectar and Campbell do the rest | Wyscout

Hibs used some smart rotations to keep Celtic on the back foot at times, with Lewis Miller driving forward and Bowie dropping deep. Again, having Moriah-Welsh making support runs – not just sitting in front of his back four and looking to tidy up Celtic counters – was important in gaining Hibs a territorial toehold (see Photo 3).

Photo 3 - support runs and rotations got Hibs up the pitch | Wyscout

Bowie’s movement was vital in occupying defenders and opening up passing lanes. As Photo 4 demonstrates, Moriah-Welsh was willing and able to hit those gaps.

Photo 4 - Moriah-Welsh exploits the gap | Wyscout

And the former Bournemouth prospect wasn’t afraid to take on high-risks passes. The one he’s hitting in Photo 5 found its target, as most did, on a day when he gave gaffer Gray plenty of food for thought.

Photo 5 - another completed progressive pass | Wyscout

With Manneh free from suspension, Newell fresh after sitting on the bench for the full 90 minutes at the weekend and Kwon available again, nobody would be surprised if Hibs made a couple of changes at Tannadice on Wednesday night. Dundee United away is a very different sort of test to Celtic at home.

But Moriah-Welsh deserves to be in the conversation. In a season when he’s had to fight for minutes as a substitute, that has to feel like a positive development.

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