Inside Hibs' big night in Belgrade: Vodka bottles, Martin Boyle's knee and the Sliding Doors man

Even before the second half of last night’s uproarious European triumph in Belgrade kicked off, then, the visiting skipper wanted to clarify something with Maltese referee Philip Farrugia. If he should just happen to score again, Boyle asked, would it be OK to go and celebrate with the Hibs fans in the far corner?

You want your strikers to be confident. And, even as he nursed a heavily strapped left knee guaranteed to cause him some discomfort on the flight back to Edinburgh, Boyle had every right to feel as if he could make the journey in a single bound; he might as well have been wearing Superman’s famous S under his yellow away shirt.

Boyle, full of pride in how Hibs stood up to an intimidating atmosphere, followed up that back-post finish – more on that later – with a second-half penalty that carried David Gray’s team a long way towards the UEFA Conference League play-offs. Pending events in Edinburgh next Thursday night, of course.

And the experienced Socceroos international, a man who has become such a big part of the Hibernian story in this 150th anniversary season, revealed just how crazy things had felt out on the field.

Asked about the moment when he could lead the entire Hibs team over to celebrate his second goal, a well-taken penalty won by the presence of Kieron Bowie, Boyle said: “It was better than the first one when I was getting vodka bottles off my head! But like you say, it was brilliant.

The big Hibs celebration question

“I asked the ref at half-time if I could go over and celebrate in front of our fans, if I scored, after he told me not to celebrate in front of the home fans. So I already knew in my head that there could be another goal for me here.

“It’s all down to big Kieron causing havoc in the box. That decision comes so there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to take it. Yeah, lovely feeling.

“It's great to celebrate with the fans. They can have that memory, hopefully something that lives with them for a long time. But that will mean us finishing the job off next week

“Told you the 100th goal was coming! Yeah, incredible feeling. The atmosphere was brilliant. It was a joy to play in front of that. It was intimidating. But the boys never cracked, never crumbled. It was a professional performance.

“Defensively, a great display. A clean sheet away from home. Everything you ask for. And obviously, the red card comes from Rocky putting his body on the line, which is perfect. You can see how he's matured as a defender. He's a real leader for us.

“Big Rocky does love a Sliding Doors moment, as you say. He really does. But that’s because he’s just so tenacious. He puts his body on the line. Exactly what he did against Partizan. So yeah, we're very lucky to have him.

‘A joy to play with’

“And then it’s big dum-dum (Bowie) running through people at the other end who wins the free-kick! Kieron is such a threat up front, a really big boy for his age. He's a joy to play with. He'll only get better. He'll score a lot of goals for us. I'm sure he's got a terrific career ahead of him.”

Explaining the planning that had gone into the opening goal, a back-post finish from a corner, Boyle said: “It happened so quick. Obviously, flicked off Warren's head. But I've been telling them to put me at the back post because for corners - because I reckon there's 10 goals a season there!

“We've worked a lot on set pieces through the week. We know we're an attacking threat and we know defensively that we're really good. Thankfully, it paid off tonight and I was lucky to tap it in.”

If anyone can add perspective to the achievement – still only halfway completed, admittedly – pulled off by Gray’s men, it’s Boyle. A player who has been around for some pretty decent European adventures.

Recalling a famous aggregate win over Asteras Tripolis back in 2018, he said: “Yeah, it's fantastic for the club. Like you say, I've experienced it before, John McGinn scoring that goal in Greece. But this was a perfect night.

“Credit to the manager and the way he wants us to play. We were brave tonight, and we executed the game plan perfectly. We stayed composed. We kept our heads at the right time and obviously, we took advantage of that. We maybe got a bit sloppy in the second half. We could have done better. But like you say, it’s historic for the club.

‘It can be quite intimidating’

“Delighted for the fans that travelled. Hopefully, a safe journey back home and we can see them next week. But yeah, all round brilliant night.

“As a player it’s just amazing to play in front of that sort of crowd. I mean, playing at an international level you get the feeling of that. Playing at Tynecastle, Ibrox. It's intimidating. I've played Jordan away with Australia. So I knew exactly what to expect. It can be quite intimidating.

“But there's a lot of people in the squad that haven't experienced that. And that's a great experience for them. Everyone rose to the occasion. It's perfect. It's the crowd you want to play in front of. Intimidating. It can only give you that buzz and keep you going.”

Boyle, who has backed Grant Hanley to bring even more experience and leadership to Hibs following the Scotland defender’s decision to sign a two-year contract despite having offers elsewhere, looked in a bit of discomfort as his left leg was bandaged from upper shin to lower thigh. Given his injury history with that knee, a little concern is only natural.

The 32-year-old, who went down in some distress after turning sharply on a slightly sticky pitch, said: “The knee's alright. I had a bit of a scare. Slipped and hyperextended it. So hopefully it settles down well. I’ve got no time to dwell on it. We've got a game in a few days.

“Yeah, I think that is your first thought (to worry). And then I knew when it was alright. I was just telling them to waste time a little bit. So yeah. Like you say, it's always a bit of a scare. These things can happen in a game. Touch wood it doesn't happen again. And I'll be alright.

“But it's just precautionary at the moment. So yeah, I'm ready to go again. I'm ready to hopefully score more goals.”