COMPLETE PERFORMER
Doidge salutes pace, sharpness and precision of hat-trick legend Boyle
THE mass exodus of Rangers fans was already well under way. Sensing that their side’s commanding lead would not now be overturned, the volume of noise from the Hibernian supporters steadily grew.
There were still 20 minutes to play at Hampden. For all there was next to no evidence to suggest that we were about to witness the most unlikely of comebacks, you could not completely discount it. There was always that remote chance that a piece of magic or a slice of good fortune could breathe new life into the League Cup semi-final.
As Rangers attempted to build something down the right, a figure in a green and white jersey appeared in the blur to track a run, get a toe in and ensure another move amounted to nothing.
This was Martin Boyle doing what’s commonly referred to as the ugly side of the game. The selfless sprints and blocks that won’t make the YouTube cut when his grandchildren are showing him the highlights reel of his Hampden hat-trick one day.
But those minor details were the building blocks of a perfect display from the man wearing the No 10 jersey.
He hounded the Rangers back-line all day with his appetite and pace. He gave nothing up as a lost cause. He set the tone for a colossal display from Jack Ross’ side. He led from the front.
‘When Boyley is in that kind of form there is not anyone in the league who can stop him,’ said teammate Christian Doidge.
‘He is so quick, so agile and can finish. He’s got everything. I’m really happy for him.’
Crammed into 29 first-half minutes, Boyle’s goals had the Hibernian fans in raptures. A close-range finish from a corner was followed by a shot that flashed across the outstretched arms of Allan McGregor before a calm penalty was dispatched straight down the middle.
It was quite a way to cross off the only top-flight side that the 28-year-old had previously never scored against.
A feat that immediately entered Hibernian folklore was all the more impressive for the fact that the forward had spent much of last week catching up on the sleep he missed as he travelled to Australia and back on international duty.
‘I just said to him that he had to go and get the ball signed. He was like: “Oh, I don’t wanna”,’ added Doidge.
‘I told him you don’t score many hat-tricks at Hampden, especially against Rangers.
‘Fair play to him. I’m very proud. I don’t know how many hat-tricks he’s had in his career but this one will be very special to him.’
While Boyle’s display stole the show, Ross did not have a single player whose display was anything short of excellent.
Paul Hanlon was booked inside eight seconds yet played with his head thereafter. If he’d produced a better 90 minutes in his time at the club, no one could quite remember it.
Beside him, Ryan Porteous was a force of nature, his error for Scott Arfield’s goal immediately flushed from his mind. The supporting cast — Chris Cadden, Joe Newell, Jake Doyle-Hayes and Kevin Nisbet among them — all delivered superlative performances. Academy graduate Josh Campbell belied the fact that this was his first domestic start of the season.
What a way to answer the growing questions about Hibs’ mentality under Ross in Mount Florida.
‘We’ve done well to get to Hampden on numerous occasions and we just haven’t got over the line,’ Doidge reflected on three defeats there in 14 months.
‘This time we did. Obviously there was extra motivation because we haven’t done very well there. But we believed we could get a result.
‘In the last few league games against Rangers, we’ve done really well. It was a matter of time before we got a result against them and this was the day.
‘Last year was obviously really frustrating. But we parked that and came to Hampden on Sunday trying our hardest to get a result.
‘We got it and I’m glad the fans were here to see it because the league campaign has been a bit frustrating at the moment. For them to be able to celebrate is a good feeling for us all.’
The win was all the more remarkable for the narrative going into the match. A recent outbreak of Covid meant Ross’ side hadn’t played a game since October 27.
The result that night, a 3-1 loss at home to Celtic, was the fourth defeat on the spin. Hibs had scored just twice in that poor run. And yet, after 38 minutes, the statistic on the Hampden scoreboard almost required a double-take. ‘We started really well the last time we played them until Porto (Porteous) got sent off,’ Doidge recalled of a 2-1 loss at Ibrox.
‘When you play against Rangers and are down to ten men, it’s going to be a long afternoon.
‘This time we started really well and got that goal. Then another one. And another one. Thanks to Boyley.
‘We created chances and kept it tight at the back. The goal they got was more us giving it to them with a couple of bad clearances.
‘We scored some really good goals and limited them to a few chances.’
Ross scarcely had time to drink in the magnitude of the result before contemplating the blizzard of games that his side will encounter in the run-up to the final with Celtic on December 19.
Starting with tomorrow’s rearranged game with Ross County, Hibs have seven matches in 21 days. It’s far from ideal preparation.
Come what may, though, they have now demonstrated the standard they are capable of reaching.
And if they can even get close to replicating it next month, they will assuredly take some stopping.
‘No, of course not,’ Doidge said when asked if there was anything to fear. ‘Obviously Celtic are a really good side and going really well this year.
‘But everyone knows that anything can happen in a cup final. We can look forward to it. We’ll enjoy this result and then get into preparations for the league on Wednesday.’