Hibs kids aim to take their chance to be history boys
Hibs have an opportunity to create Scottish football history tonight. At Easter Road, just 90 minutes stand in their way. Well, 90 minutes and the German behemoths of Borussia Dortmund, a significant financial gulf, a striker on a hot streak, signed from Ajax and a former forward of city rivals Hearts. But don’t expect any fear, backed by a partisan crowd. This is an opportunity.
Steve Kean’s Hibs Under19s have reached the play-off round of Uefa’s Youth League after navigating two ties, against Nantes and Molde, to set up a one-off fixture in Leith, live on BT Sport (kickoff 7pm). It is a stage which has been reached before by Celtic, in 2015/16, and Rangers, in 2019/20 and 2021/22. No Scottish side has been able to make the next step to reach the last 16 and the land of the giants. Liverpool, Barcelona, Paris Saintgermain, Real Madrid and AC Milan just some of the possible opponents.
But first Dortmund. “They can gauge themselves against the best in Europe,” Kean, the club’s academy director said. “We know how much Dortmund put into their academy. They buy players from other clubs and this is a test to see where we are. We have done well in this competition and domestically but where are we against one of the socalled superpowers of European football?”
The Germans have more backroom staff than players – 24 to 20 – for their trip to Scotland’s capital. They also have a striker who has earned comparisons to Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland. Julian Rijkhoff was bought from Ajax for six figures in 2021, a transfer which provoked criticism from Dutch football royalty, Marco van Basten.
Not only has he overcome a torn ankle ligament since joining, but gone on to score goals, and a hell of a lot of them. The 18-year-old recently signed a new long-term deal and has been described by Dutch journalist Bart Vlietstra as a “complete striker, an excellent finisher who creates a lot of chances with his clever runs”.
You would forgive Murray Johnson, the highly-rated Hibs goalkeeper who is now back-up to David Marshall at first-team level, for having sleepless nights. Not so for a goalkeeper who has faced strikers “worth millions and millions of pounds” for Scotland Under-19s and had trials at Manchester City and Brighton.
“When I’m out on that pitch it is one guy against another and there is a ball in the middle,” he said, belying his 18 years. “I think if you strip it back and make it as simple as possible that's the best thing you can do because if you start looking into the monetary values of these players you can get ahead of yourself.”
Of course, there is more to Dortmund than just one player. This is a club who pride themselves on producing the very best of talents. Nnamdi Collins is their lightning quick centre-back and has attracted a seven-figure bid from Chelsea. Then there is their manager, former Hearts striker Mike Tullberg, inset. The Dane, who played seven times for Hibs’ rivals, retired aged just 26 due to injuries. He is now a highly-regarded coach at Dortmund who are said to value his “meticulous approach”, moving him from managing the Dortmund second team to the more prestigious and important role with the under-19s. The club’s youth coordinator Lars Ricken said: “We think Mike is a great coaching talent.”
But enough about Dortmund.
This is a huge occasion for Hibs and their next generation. “You are getting to play at Easter Road in front of what is going to be a massive crowd,” Johnson said. “Block 7 (Hibs ultra group) are going to be there in their numbers which creates such an atmosphere that while we’ve not experienced will thrive off. The fans will be massive, we just can’t wait to get out there in front of them and showcase everything we’ve got.”
It is a stage where Johnson and other talents such as Josh O'connor, Ethan Laidlaw and Oscar Macintyre can announce themselves further to supporters and deliver a timely reminder that they deserve to be in and around the first-team, with O’connor and Macintyre making appearances for Lee Johnson's senior side recently.
“He's put an incredible amount of faith in me and the young lads, putting us on the bench and you’re only one red card, illness, injury away from being on the pitch,” Johnson said of the Hibs boss. “That in itself shows the level of faith and trust he’s got in you.
For Kean, this is just another step in the players’ developments, the experiences which will aid their craft and mould them into firstteam stars. “A few weeks ago we played Livingston at the training ground,” he said. “They brought basically their first-team. They had more than 2,400 first-team games between them and that gives the first-team manager a chance to see they can play against men. Now the staff will be there again and can these boys play against some of the best players in Europe.
“If we can perform like we can, and do what we did against Nantes and Molde, then we have every chance and it shows the manager how close they are. I think playing against elite European players and then senior pros that gives a nice blend. You might need to take an elbow in the face from a senior pro if you are skipping away from them and then you need to pit your wits against someone technical in a European game. I think that helps them grow and it gives them a taste of what they will face in the first team.”