Jake relishes jump-start at Hibs to get career in top gear
AS impressive as Jake Doyle-Hayes was from the word go in a St Mirren jersey last season, it was impossible to escape the notion that he would never be able to reach his optimum level at Paisley.
This owed absolutely nothing to his ability or the club’s training regime. A free agent between leaving Aston Villa in the summer and signing for the Buddies in November, the lack of a proper pre-season left him playing catch-up.
This now feels very different. In at the start of Hibernian’s preparations, notwithstanding a niggling hamstring concern, the 72 minutes he enjoyed in Andorra on Thursday was another gear change ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Motherwell.
‘Last season, I just had to keep myself fit at home, and that was far from ideal,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘It is not the same as playing games.
‘I am delighted I got everything sorted so early, so hopefully I can now hit the ground running.
‘It wasn’t ideal last season, but I got my head down and worked hard to keep as fit as possible. This definitely helps getting in the pre-season as you learn what the gaffer wants. I hope I can chip in with a few more goals and assists.’
Set in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the tiny Estadi Nacional would never be mistaken for one of football’s great theatres, with Santa Coloma not quite European football as billed in the brochure.
But the game and the eventual victory still meant the world to the Hibernian debutant — the first step on what he hopes will be quite the adventure at Easter Road.
‘It is a different pressure playing in a European game, but I am delighted to be back out on the pitch,’ he added. ‘It was tough conditions, but for large parts of the game we controlled things and played at our own tempo. That helped a lot.’
The fact that four of Hibs’ attacking players — Martin Boyle, Kevin Nisbet, Jamie Murphy and Dan MacKay — have already hit the back of the net is a welcome boost for manager Jack Ross.
‘That’s been the pleasing aspect of the two legs,’ said the manager. ‘With Jamie and Dan scoring on Thursday, four of our forwards are off the mark already.
‘The subs helped us as well in those forward areas and we’ll need that throughout the season.
‘Last season, we were relying on three and you want to share that burden.’
Meanwhile, Liam Donnelly will join the thousands of Motherwell and Hibs fans in returning to top-flight action following an enforced absence as the Fir Park midfielder (right) prepares to make his own league comeback this weekend.
Northern Ireland cap Donnelly suffered a knee injury during last season’s league opener against Ross County and a damaged meniscus kept him out far longer than anticipated.
He is set to feature in front of up to 6,500 fans when Hibs visit Lanarkshire tomorrow, and the 25-year-old said: ‘The injury was difficult, with a couple of setbacks and different timescales along the way.
‘It was challenging more mentally than anything to keep yourself going.
‘The initial timescale was two to three months, but then it went to five months, then seven months — and it was pushing 12 months in the end.
‘But I have got here now and I am looking forward to getting going again.
‘I didn’t actually experience Fir Park without the fans, but watching from the stand they were a big miss. It will be exciting to have a more of them here.’
Donnelly was a key player two seasons ago, but now finds himself needing to win over boss Graham Alexander, who was appointed in January.
‘It’s like a fresh slate, I have to go out and impress him every day in training and every game I am involved in,’ he said. ‘It’s a strange situation, but I still have to prove myself to him.’