Mean streak
Doidge eyes a goal roll after ending barren run
CHRISTIAN DOIDGE is never afraid to recall the ghastly goal droughts of his career.
That’s because more often than not they have been followed by a dynamite run of form.
The Welshman’s previous tells us he’s never more dangerous than just after ending a barren spell.
So Hibs’ top-six rivals and Scottish Cup opponents had better watch out in the weeks to come.
Doidge put a stop to a streak of 15 matches without scoring when netting a first-half equaliser on the road at Livingston.
The 28-year-old said: “I’m very streaky, so hopefully this will mean I go on another run now.
“Throughout my career I’ve gone through spells like this and I can’t put my finger on why.
“This one at 15 is probably my longest. It was nice to bring that to an end and put this drought to bed.
“It wasn’t overly playing on my mind. Obviously when you step off the pitch you’re disappointed, especially if you’ve missed good chances. But I’ve been on goal droughts before – many times. Every centre-forward goes through them.
“You’ve just got to keep getting in the right positions. And, as a centreforward, I feel I’m very good at getting in those positions.
“But sometimes it just doesn’t drop for you or the ball just doesn’t 1 go in the back of the net, so it has been disappointing.
“Some of my finishes haven’t been great, some of the keepers have pulled off nice saves. But I had to just keep pushing forward. You have to persevere.”
When quizzed on the ex-Forest Green frontman’s struggles, Jack Ross had been parroting the line that as long as the player was pulling his weight for the team, he wasn’t worried. By Friday the manager brought that belief to Doidge’s doorstep in a confidence-boosting chat.
Pressure off, Doidge produced at a terrific time – four minutes before the break with Hibs 1-0 down.
A Ryan Porteous error had let Craig Sibbald in to score with 28 minutes gone and the away side were toiling to gain a foothold.
But Josh Doig’s determination to dispossess Nicky Devlin teed up Doidge for his first goal since December 15, when his League Cup finish against Alloa got him on the scoresheet for a third game in a row.
With Doidge clicking once again with Kevin Nisbet, Hibs look sure to lock down third place.
The draw, coupled with Aberdeen’s latest flop, gives them a seven-point cushion going into the postsplit fixtures.
Doidge said: “The manager has been great. He puts faith in me by putting me on the pitch and he knows, even when I’m not scoring goals, I’m contributing to the team.
“For me, that’s the most important thing. He has a lot of one-on-one chats with players so you know where you’re at. It helps to know that he values what I do and I know my team-mates do as well.
“That gives me the determination to go out there and put in a shift.
“Obviously as a centre-forward, you want to score goals every week.
“I’ve been on a run when I haven’t, so it was really nice to get a goal and help the boys get the point.”