Striker Boyle is smiling again as he puts difficult time on and off the pitch behind him
After a testing time on the pitch and a horrendous time off it, Martin Boyle has reason to smile again.
Netting a double to give Hibs their 2-0 win over Aberdeen and extend their lead over the Dons to five points, he was also able to lift family spirits.
The disappointment of the recent Betfred Cup semi-final defeat was acute, but it was put into perspective for Boyle.
He said: “My father fell unwell which was a shock and I went in to see [manager Jack Ross] and he allowed me to have a day off training. I then came back and had to put it to the back of my mind.
“It is tough, but I felt the best place for me was to come into training and not just stay at home and pace about the house. But, at the same time, trying to juggle football with the off-field issues has obviously been hard.
"The club have been brilliant, and my wife and I have my daughter’s company to help but, at the same time, I know my father would kill me if I allowed it to affect my performances on the pitch and, thankfully, he has come through this bad spell and hopefully is on the mend.”
Recuperating from a stroke, his dad, Graeme, has been
watching his son’s exploits on TV and, with four goals and three wins from the past three games, they have proved more uplifting than Hallmark’s finest greetings card.
Boyle said: “I always phone him after games and he texts me. He is chuffed at the moment and I have been able to see him in these tough times, which is good, but I am happy to be out there doing my business and glad he is on the mend.
“It has been a good week. I’ve hit a bit of form which has been good. I have been a bit patchy this season, so, to pick up and help my team-mates as much as I can is good.”
It is payback for the support they have offered him during a tough time.
“My team-mates know all
about it and have been there for me. They all helped pick me up and I now feel I’m back to myself. I’m getting back to my best, which is good.”
That could be said about several of the Leith squad.
The wins against Dundee United and St Mirren lifted morale, but it was the performance as well as the outcome that elevated Saturday’s triumph over their Pittodrie rivals.
On a day when play was fairly even, Hibs were the more incisive in possession and the more defiant in defence.
There were even opportunities for the home side to ensure a more empathic scoreline. A couple of them fell to Boyle but, like his teammate Chris Cadden, he was foiled by the visiting goalkeeper Joe Lewis.
“Yeah, I could have had four, maybe, but I’m happy with one and two is a bonus,” he admitted. “There have been multiple times this season when I could have had three, but I have been putting in a shift and, look, Joe is a top goalie and a big boy so I have to be happy.”
Of the two he did score, the first came in the 27th minute from the penalty spot after Jamie Murphy had been clipped by Connor Mclennan.
The second came as Hibs played to their counterattacking strengths.
Substitute Lewis Stevenson played a ball in behind the Aberdeen rearguard, Boyle once again slipped the leash and was able to send an angled drive beyond Lewis and into the far corner.