Hibs’ Head Coach Neil Lennon has admitted that the performance of his players so far this season has given him a selection headache for Saturday’s trip to Ibrox.
After a superb 3-1 victory over Partick Thistle on the opening day of the season, Lennon made four changes to the starting XI, resting Steven Whittaker, Paul Hanlon and Marvin Bartley whilst dropping Martin Boyle to the bench.
The four who took over, David Gray, Darren McGregor, Ryan Porteous and Anthony Stokes all performed well, as did the two Lithuanian internationals, Vykintas Slivka and Deivydas Matulevicius who both came off the bench as Hibs cruised into the Betfred Quarter Final with an emphatic 5-0 win over Ayr United.
Stokes’ two goals and his partnership and link up play with Simon Murray was another pleasant surprise for the Northern Irishman.
Speaking after the game a delighted Lennon said: “I watched Rangers on Sunday at Motherwell and they had a great win. I haven’t been to Ibrox in a few years and I’m looking forward to it very much.”
“I’ve got some tough decisions to make, but that’s what you want.I’ve not got a clear idea of who I’m going to play yet.
“We rested Hanlon and Whittaker. They’ll definitely come into our thinking, but I’m delighted with the depth of the squad.
“Stokes showed some great touches and did well to come through the game with two goals and an assist.
“Some of his play in general was real quality. He looked like he was enjoying himself. He’s a naturally fit boy and he is very rarely injured. It’s great that he got the 90 minutes and a couple of goals because that’s what he’s here for.
“He will cause problems when he’s in that kind of mood and it surprised me the way he linked up with Murray. They seemed to dovetail quite quickly.”
“I was delighted with the goals, the shape of the team, the attitude and the quality. There was real zest about us.
“We’re in the quarter- final and that’s the most important thing, but some guys got important game-time, like Stokes, Slivka, Gray and McGregor.
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.
