I was on cloud nine. I thought I was going to Real Madrid!
Set-play star Mallan aims to rediscover magic of old
STEVIE Mallan’s approach to free-kicks was honed over months and years. Like Michael Flatley giving birth to Riverdance, every step was practised, polished, rehearsed and repeated.
‘Hey, I was woeful at the start,’ laughs the Hibernian midfielder. ‘The ball was flying everywhere. A few windows got threatened.
‘My dad would video from behind the goal so I could study my technique. As the years went on, I changed a little bit.
‘I would count how many steps I’d take, which foot went in front of the other, just that repetitiveness. It helps with you seeing the goal — and it’s paid off.’
The frustrations of a wasted year at Barnsley flooded out when he joined Hibs last summer. By early October, the 22-year-old had seven goals. All came from outside the 18-yard box. Some, like a stunning free-kick against Kilmarnock, were spectacular and raised expectations to a level Zinedine Zidane would have struggled to maintain.
‘I hit a few great goals at the start,’ he concedes. ‘I maybe shot myself in the foot by getting off to such a flier.
‘I was on cloud nine over the first two months. I thought I was going to Real Madrid! I scored some cracking goals.
‘I do put time into working on my shooting, on the free-kicks, a lot more when I was younger than I do now. I had more time back then.
‘When I was bored at school I would take a bag of balls, which my dad always made sure I had, and I would hit free-kicks through sheer boredom.
‘I always played football and wanted to make sure I had a different side to my game which would put me ahead of the rest. Every side I played in, I was on set-pieces and corners. They are so important in football. ‘So, I would be there on my day off, with a seven-aside goal in front of a fullsized goal — I’d use it as a wall — and I’d have a few friends with me and I would practise. I reaped the benefits of that at the start of the season and, honestly, I’m dying for one now.’
Mallan scored two of his trademark strikes in a 6-0 win over Hamilton on October 6.
Two weeks later, Florian Kamberi was red carded in a bad-tempered scoreless draw with Hearts, Neil Lennon was struck by a coin from the stands and Hibs tumbled to the canvas.
Two wins in 13 games coincided with the midfielder’s free-kicks drying up like a golfer struggling to overcome a bad dose of the yips.
‘I started off with a bang. It did level off towards the end of the first half of the season, which I did know myself,’ admits Mallan. ‘I had meetings with the manager to get me back to where I was, to get my
high standards back. ‘I came into a new club and was obviously buzzing. I know that latterly my performances have not been where I’ve wanted them to be. I know how I can play. I can make them a lot better ‘You’ve got to work hard. At every club I’ve been at, the boys ask me how I got my technique when it comes to actually hitting the ball and it’s years of practice, it’s not something which comes naturally. ‘A boy who doesn’t take a lot of free-kicks, he will hit the ball differently from those of us who take them regularly. It’s like a golf swing. You practise, practise, practise.’
He denies putting pressure on himself to fill the boots of former St Mirren team-mate and close pal John McGinn. The Scotland international joined Aston Villa for £3million last summer and, after the inactivity of an unhappy season at Barnsley, Mallan saw an opportunity to fill the void vacated by McGinn, Dylan McGeouch and Scott Allan and start rebuilding his stalling career. He still does.
‘When I was down south at Barnsley, there was always talk about me going to Hibs so I kept my eye on them, plus I’m a good friend of John and I wanted to know how he was getting on.
‘They were great to watch, especially with those three linking up so well together.
‘When the three of them left, people like me who came in wanted to get to their level or maybe even do better.
‘I thrive on the pressure. I don’t want to be as I was last season when I wasn’t feeling the pressure to perform because I wasn’t really playing.
‘John moved from St Mirren to Hibs and became a totally different player. I saw that and it made me want to come to Hibs as well; because of how much he kicked on as a footballer.
‘He’s got his move to Aston Villa now. My thinking was that if he could do it, then so could I.
‘As a team, we know we shouldn’t be where we are in the league. ‘We need to start performing better. We should not be eighth, not this club. The manager has reiterated most days that the standards haven’t been as he wanted them to be. I’m sure everyone will give their all to improve.’