Danny Galbraith’s future at Hibs to be decided

By DAVID HARDIE
Published on 26/10/2012 12:00

Danny GALBRAITH’S Easter Road future is set to be hammered out over the weekend, Hibs boss Pat Fenlon revealed today.

The midfielder hasn’t played for the Capital club since facing St Johnstone on January 21 and had surgery at the end of last season which involved shaving bone from his hip area. Galbraith returned to training at the end of August but only days later it was reported he’d been “banished” from the club’s base at East Mains, sparking wild speculation as to the reason and forcing Hibs to issue a statement insisting his absence was purely down to his rehabilitation programme and that the 22-year-old’s medical condition was a private matter.

Hibs did, however, at the same time express the hope that the former Manchester United youth player would recover from his “playing injuries” in the near future.

But talks between Galbraith, his agent and club officials took place last week and, Fenlon disclosed, further discussions are planned over the next couple of days. Fenlon said: “Danny was in here last week and we are due to speak to him and his advisor over the weekend.

“Hopefully we will come to some conclusion on that before Monday and Tuesday and we can then move forward.”

Meanwhile, Hibs head for Fir Park tonight hoping for an improvement in their away form and knowing a win over Motherwell will lift them, at least temporarily, back into second spot in the SPL table.

Although Fenlon’s side remain unbeaten at home this season, they’ve won just once on the road, a reversal of last season when Hibs managed just two league wins at Easter Road. The Hibs manager said: “Last year our record away from home was half decent when we came in but the home form was not so good.

“We’ve reversed it a little bit as we obviously wanted to do in relation to our home form but maybe we just need to be more solid away from home.

“I think we have looked like we can score goals in most games as we are creating a lot of chances, but it’s about getting that balance right. We want to continue to cause teams problems but to tighten up defensively.

“I think a lot of the stuff has been basic, silly errors, individual mistakes, so we’re working on that continuously.” Tonight’s match marks the conclusion of the first round of fixtures, with Hibs having taken 15 points which is already almost half of their tally for last season. Fenlon, however, believes that total could have been a little higher. He said: “There’s a couple [of points] which have got away from us but I’m not too despondent. We are making progress.”

But he added: “You’ve got to dream as a player and a manager, and you have to place expectations on yourself. First and foremost that expectation is to improve on last season and finish in the top six. To go from second last to second will be a massive task, and we will see if we are capable of that at the end of the season.”

Related Articles

• Hibs: Lights dimmed on bright beginning

  The luck of the Irish deserted new Hibs boss Pat Fenlon as he saw his first match in charge of the Easter Road match abandoned at half-time with his side leading through a Garry O’Connor strike.

  0 Comments

• Hibs rising star Sam Stanton signs three-year deal

  Hibs kid Sam Stanton has agreed a new deal which will tie him to the Easter Road club for the next three years, it was revealed today.

  31 Comments

• Thumbs-up for new Hibs ace Ryan McGivern

  James McPAKE has backed boss Pat Fenlon’s latest signing Ryan McGivern to be an instant success at Hibs – four days before the Northern Ireland internationalist even sets foot inside Easter Road.

  18 Comments

• Danny Galbraith eyes Hibs return as club clarify reasons for absence

  Danny Galbraith could be back at Hibernian on Monday after the club yesterday insisted the player’s enforced absence from the training ground had been due to his ongoing fitness problems.

  17 Comments

• Scottish football briefing - 28 April

  Celtic