The glaring gap Hibs MUST fill if Gray's men are to deliver on promise

Hibs fans at Kelty saw their team waste a hatful of chances. | SNS Group

Ian Gordon and Malky Mackay both spent Saturday afternoon at Kelty’s New Central Park, where the pitch-side seating for visiting directors guaranteed a close-up view of the action. If either needed a reminder of where Hibs are most desperately lacking in both numbers and quality, the evidence was being played out on a pitch no more than 15 feet in front of them.

David Gray dropping the names of both Adam Le Fondre and Simon Murray into conversation last week, citing both as examples of striker ‘types’ who would flourish in his Hibs team, was merely the manager acknowledging a pretty glaring gap in the current squad. It just so happens that Hibs, having already released Le Fondre, failed to beat Dundee to the services of Murray – a former Hibs player and lifelong fan looking for a way out of Ross County.

Sporting director Mackay, who has already delivered two central defenders and two goalkeepers to a squad simultaneously bursting at the seems AND short of quality in key areas, knows that a centre forward is not merely a priority but a necessity. The problem? Everybody wants a striker. Even clubs with four already on the books are looking for another one, just in case. And, as the guys who score the goals that make the difference, they tend to be expensive.

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With their Premier Sports Cup campaign in need of a boost and the Scottish Premiership kick-off looming large, then, let’s take a proper look at how Hibs would benefit from adding a new face at the top end of the pitch. And examine exactly what Gray is looking for.

Why the urgency?

Well, obviously there are the chances currently being missed. Gray will want someone – anyone – to put away the sort of opportunities that went abegging at Kelty on Saturday. Without that, this is going to be a very long season.

But it goes beyond merely putting the ball in the net, however important that may be. For a team looking to play higher up the park and squeeze opponents, there must be a focal point around which attacks can rally.

Anyone who watched England struggle to make the most of their possession and control at the Euros, their best efforts hampered by the immobility/unsuitability of a striker unable to do the necessary, will recognise the pattern. At a slightly lower level, Hibs are currently suffering from the same malaise.

Can the current No.9 adapt to demands?

Nobody is doubting that Dylan Vente is a quality footballer. And his second season in Scotland should be easier than the first now that he’s had time to adapt. The concern is that he may be the wrong guy, in the wrong movie, working for a director demanding an immersive style of performance at odds with all training to date.

Dylan Vente scored a hat trick in Elgin - but missed a couple of great chances against Kelty. Pic: SNS | SNS Group

To be blunt, and this is nothing to do with physique or stature, the Dutchman makes for a very small target in the penalty box. What does that mean? Well, that his team-mates have to place the ball in a very narrow window of space and time, delivering it just so, in order for Vente to get a shot on goal.

In a team blessed with the accuracy to make that happen, or a league where defenders aren’t quite as fond of close-quarter grappling, that’s not a problem. But Scottish football, in so many areas of the park, is all about making first contact with a contested ball. For good or ill, that’s a huge part of our approach to the beautiful game.

Hibs need a centre forward practiced in the art of throwing himself across, in front of or even, on occasion, through defenders in order to get something on a low driven cross or a scrappy flick-on. Vente, raised through the ranks at Feyenoord before finding his happy place at Roda JC in the Eerste Divisie (the Dutch second tier), has some new tricks to learn – at the age of 25 – if he’s to contribute.

So what are the criteria for a new centre forward?

Football is not a game of perfect, even at the very highest level. And the imperfections inherent in Scotland’s national obsession are part of what makes it so entertaining.

Hibs demonstrated last season that genuine quality will always shine through in the Scottish Premiership, with the January recruitment of Myziane Maolida producing immediate results. Short of getting Maolida back to build on his achievement in finishing the season as top scorer, unlikely now that Saudi clubs are apparently interested, a player of similar stellar ability will always find a way to punish domestic defences up to and including Glasgow’s Big Two.

But the reality is that they’re looking for a proper line leader. Someone who comes alive in the penalty box, yes. While also chasing channel balls and, when required, holding possession to draw defenders in or buy time for supporting runners.

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Gray volunteered the name of Murray when describing his identikit striker last week. And the new manager’s face almost lit up as he talked about the ability of his old team-mate to stretch play and occupy opposition defences.

Any candidates you’d like to throw into the discussion?

Anyone armed with a Wyscout subscription or access to the right statistics could throw a dozen names at the Hibs recruitment team. Looking at some past signings, there were times when that might have been enough to pique a bit of interest.

Mackay taking a leading role, however, means the Easter Road hierarchy have an experienced head running the rule on potential acquisitions. He understands the essentials for any player looking to cut it in Scotland’s top flight. Whatever doubts Bill Foley may have over the guys in charge, they’re not going to make the obvious mistake of signing square pegs and trying to hammer them into round holes.

Gray is content to have Mackay and others acting as a filter on the many suggestions likely to be floated between now and the end of the transfer window. Leaving the gaffer to make a final call on recommended recruits.