Hibs could have a huge say in the title race

DAVID Gray’s Hibs side has only lost seven league matches all season and sit comfortably fifth in the table with the ridiculous pointless ‘split’ a mere three matches away.

‘Top Six’ since its introduction in 2000/01 has been to Scottish football what school sports days are—where every participant, no matter how mediocre, gets a medal—to sporting excellence. More than that, the very existence of ‘top six’ as an achievement for the division’s better teams is a tacit acknowledgment from the unimaginative dullards who run our game that the league title is the preserve of only the two Glasgow clubs.

Hibernian’s city neighbours, Hearts, have given a real go this season at shattering that duopoly, as have a superb Motherwell side, yet this term could so easily have seen five teams contesting the title race, and that fifth contender could and should have been Edinburgh’s green and white.

The reason Hibs aren’t in the title race this term is simple—too many draws. In my 40 or so years watching Hibs, that’s almost always been our problem. If just three of the Hibees’ 11 draws this term had been wins instead, Gray’s men would be in fourth place and snapping at the heels of Rangers, Celtic and Hearts with eight matches and 24 points still to play for.

The Cabbage have drawn with Dundee United and with the hatchet-men of Livingston twice apiece. Other draws have proved costly, as has an inexplicable unwillingness to compete properly against Rangers.

Gray is a far better manager and motivator than any of the succession of clowns who have occupied the Easter Road hotseat since Neil Lennon’s departure in early 2019. Gray also, this season, probably has the best group of players to pick from at the club since season 2017/18. Hibs could be doing so much better, but things are still far better than they were two years ago, that’s for sure, and credit for that goes to Gray and his coaching team.

Yes, Hibs aren’t in this season’s title race, but they have a crucial say in that title race and in Gray they at least have a manager who understands that—the post split-derby is the big one for Hibbies—Hearts simply must be beaten. Then there is the humiliating home hoodoo against Rangers—20 years since Hibs have bested a Govan side in a top flight home league match—that’s unacceptable.

And yet, Hibs ended another long-standing hoodoo back on February 22 at Celtic Park, beating the ‘Hoops 2-1—the Leith side’s first win there in over 16 years—with goals from Felix Passlack and Kai Andrews, so, this Hibs side is capable of breaking hoodoos if it applies itself.

The derby back on February 10 at Tynecastle brought another 1-0 somewhat scabby win for Hearts with another late goal deciding the game. Hibs deserved at least a point from that match and defended superbly throughout, that is, until they didn’t.

Goals from Ante Šuto and Owen Elding gave the Hibees a 2-0 win over St Mirren at Easter Road a few days after the derby, then came the much needed win at Celtic, though, almost typically, Hibs followed up that fine hoodoo busting win over the champions by drawing 3-3 away to Dundee (above), then drew 0-0 at home in an insipid clash with Livingston.

Hibs still have a huge part to play in deciding where this season’s SPFL Premiership trophy ends up—it’s time Gray and his players knuckled down and gave the Hibernian faithful something to cheer about—for the valiant European campaign earlier this season now feels like it was a very, very long time ago.