The 7 key factors behind Hibs' resurgence - and the unsung heroes
At the end of November, having just beaten Motherwell for only his second Premiership win as Hibs manager, David Gray was asked if he would enjoy his Saturday night.
“I will actually, I think I might have a glass of wine,” was the smiling coach’s response. One wonders how he toasted the Boxing Day derby win over Hearts.
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Hide AdWinning 2-1 at Tynecastle - Hibs’ first triumph in exactly five years in Gorgie - moved the Easter Road side up to seventh in the league table. Having spent most of the campaign in the relegation spots, Hibs are now seven points clear of bottom club St Johnstone and five ahead of the Jambos in 11th, with talk of targeting a place in the top six rather than looking over their shoulder.
Hibs are far from safe yet, but their run of three wins in four December matches has lifted spirits in Leith. A victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday, who also sit on 21 points, would sign off a difficult 2024 on a high and breed genuine optimism going into the new year.


It is an impressive turnaround for Gray, a rookie head coach who was handed the chance to revitalise Hibs’ fortunes in the summer. The 36-year-old former club captain came under serious pressure earlier in the season, and was given a public vote of confidence at the start of November from an also under-fire board. Dissent towards chief executive Ben Kensell, sporting director Malky Mackay and the general hierarchy under Ian Gordon has stopped. It is often the way when results on the pitch start to pick up.
We take a look at some of the main reasons for Hibs’ climb up the table
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Hide AdThe watershed moment
Ask all the Hibs players and they’ll say the same thing: the bonkers 3-3 draw with Aberdeen at Easter Road on November 26. The hosts scored not one but two stoppage-time equalisers, the second from Rocky Bushiri on 96 minutes coming just seconds after an Ester Sokler overhead kick.
It arrested a worrying trend of Hibs losing leads in the dying stages of matches and gave the squad belief that they could come out on the right side of challenging moments late on. It also empowered the fanbase, giving them something to cling on to against one of the in-form teams in the league.
Gray challenged his players to build on that moment and they have risen to it.
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Changing the goalkeeper
The aforementioned Aberdeen match was the first start of the season for 30-year-old goalkeeper Jordan Smith, who was brought in as a back-up to Club Brugge loanee Josef Bursik having not played a league match for three-and-a-half years.
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Hide AdThat night, Smith was culpable for two of those goals - perhaps understandable given his lack of first-team football. But the former Nottingham Forest stopper has improved steadily ever since. There have been no errors at his end, and his handling, positioning and decision-making is much better than it was a month ago.
Crucially, the defenders in front of him are not spooked by his presence. Bursik was making too many individual mistakes and his erratic nature, be it from crosses or with his feet, was destabilising all around him. Hibs are likely to bring in another keeper in January but Smith has played a big part in the team’s resurgence.


Tactical tweaks
Gray has switched to a 3-5-2 formation that is clearly getting the best out of the players. The defence is more robust and with two forwards, the opposition backline is always occupied.
During Hibs’ poor form, the 4-2-3-1 system just wasn’t working - there was not enough security and the lone striker, often Mykola Kuharevich, was starved off support and service. That is not the case right now.
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Hide AdThe two unsung heroes
Step forward defender Jack Iredale and left wing-back Nicky Cadden. The duo may look similar - Iredale joked recently that his mother gets them mixed up on the pitch - and they certainly are having the same strong impact on the team.
Let’s start with Iredale, one of those old-school, hard-nosed defenders that every team needs. The 28-year-old Australian was an unheralded deadline-day arrival from Bolton Wanderers but since coming into the team last month, he has added fortitude and discipline to the Hibs backline.


He also allows Cadden - another originally underwhelming signing - to bomb forward, safe in the knowledge that his teammate is behind him. Cadden has spent most of his career in England, which is why few were aware of his abilities. He has a great engine, is tenacious and has a very cultured left-foot. He set up both goals in the derby with two very different crosses and has chipped in with four strikes himself this term.
The fans have taken to both players during this run of form, with Cadden one of the most dangerous players in the Premiership right now.
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Hibs have two gifted, quick forwards in Elie Youan and Martin Boyle - yet neither started the season well. Both had injury issues to contend with, but when called upon, they had little impact.
Youan is improving week-on-week since coming into the team in late November. He has scored twice and while he still offers very little in a defensive sense, his speed and unpredictability always keeps defenders on their toes.
The same can be said of Boyle, who had a hand in all three goals last weekend against Aberdeen and played very well in the derby. As someone who loves Hibs, the poor form will have hurt him more than most - but he looks back to the sort of player many expect from him.


The duo are currently the two strikers in the front two and their pace is a handful for most defences, with both players happy to peel wide or stay central. They have also been ably assisted recently by Josh Campbell, playing behind them as the most advanced midfielder, while on-loan Sunderland youngster Nectarios Triantis has been very good in the destroyer role alongside captain Joe Newell.
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Hibs killed themselves with terrible individual mistakes and the concession of late goals. But since the 4-1 loss at Dundee on November 23 - when Jordan Obita was sent off 12 minutes in when leading 1-0 - Hibs have not inflicted serious self-harm.
As mentioned before, this is down partly to installation of Smith in goal, but there appears to be more confidence and belief within the players during the business end of matches.


The belief in Gray
When the speculation was at its most intense for Gray on his future, there was never any doubt that the squad believed in the manager. You can sense when a team is downing tools on their boss, but that’s never happened with Hibs. They are committed to the head coach’s cause.
Gray has been able to keep the squad tight-knit and with him every step of the way, which is an excellent show of man-management. A hugely respected figure for what he achieved as a player with Hibs, that gives him extra gravitas in the dressing room. Nevertheless, he has also earned the trust of his players - which is hard to do when results are not going your way.
Gray has been one defeat away from losing his job on more than one occasion, but the players have dug in for him.
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