At the start of the season the prospect of relegation for Hibs was inconceivable.
A new, albeit inexperienced, head coach and a host of incoming players provided some optimism for the long-suffering fans.
However, the team had the worst start to a season since 1979/80 when they won two and drew three of their first 16 games resulting in the departure manager Eddie Turnbull and eventually relegation.
At the time of writing this David Gray is the Hibs’ head coach and victory over Ross County moved the team from bottom of the table to eighth.
A superb victory over Aberdeen coupled with a rare derby win at Tynecastle has strengthened Gray’s position and victory today against Kilmarnock at Easter Road would mean a step nearer the top six.
Whoever leads the club into its 150th year, its immediate future of could depend on comings and goings in the January transfer window.
On a positive note Garvan Stewart has been appointed as the new Head of Recruitment.
The 38-year-old has spent the last 12 years at English Premier League side AFC Bournemouth as Head of Performance Analysis and Head of Recruitment Analysis, where he worked closely with former manager Eddie Howe.
An expert in his field, Stewart’s skillset will allow the Club to reap the rewards from Black Knight Football’s scouting and player data resource.
In addition the highly rated Kieron Bowie is expected to return to action following a serious injury and will no doubt add some much needed firepower up front.
However the arrival of new faces could depend on departures.
It was reported that the club turned down offers in the region of £2m for the enigmatic Elie Youan but a similar offer would be harder to resist this time.
Gray inherited a bloated squad and although he had managed to offload a number permanently and on loan there are still several players, including some high earners who are content to remain at Easter Road with little prospect of playing.
These include Harry McKirdy, Nohan Kenneh and Luke Amos, while the likes of Dylan Levitt, Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Jake Doyle-Hayes could benefit from a move and also free up some cash.
Hibs could go on a run and finish top six but at the moment most fans would settle for playing top-flight football next season.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
