Hibs’ Daryl Horgan knows he’s playing for his future

Whether it’s a new Hibs deal or a Republic of Ireland recall, winger says his form is the key

Daryl Horgan is expected to feature for Hibs in their Premiership clash at Dundee United. Picture: SNS.

Daryl Horgan turned 28 
yesterday, his other half giving the Hibs attacker a pair of football boots for his birthday. But it was his two gifts from the left wing that helped striker Kevin Nisbet score the first and second goals of his hat-trick in the 4-1 Scottish Premiership win over Livingston on Saturday.

It was a fine performance by a player who, by his own admission, wasn’t good enough last season.

With fewer than 12 months remaining on his Easter Road contract, Horgan has one eye on the future but admits the current situation arising from the coronavirus pandemic adds another dimension.

“I’ve no contract offers,” he said ahead of Hibs’ trip to Tannadice this evening to face Dundee United.

“It will come down to a chat down the line. If I’m playing well, there will be a contract offer; if I’m not, there won’t. All I can do is keep working hard.

“Times have changed; I’m getting older and obviously we have the pandemic at the minute. That’s the way football is. It will be different for a little while so I’ll have to wait and see if there is an offer coming but at the moment, there hasn’t been one.”

Horgan is similarly sanguine about his chances of an international recall. The winger’s last appearance for the Republic of Ireland came in a friendly against Poland nearly two years ago, and he knows that knuckling down is the key.

“I wasn’t playing well enough to get in the Irish squad under Mick McCarthy. When you’re not in there you need to be doing much better than the players that are already in there, and I wasn’t. If I’m playing and I’m playing well then there’ll be an opportunity. If I’m not, there won’t,” he said.

“I’d never turn down any opportunity to play for my country. It would be something I’d love to do again but we’ll just have to see.”

Despite Horgan’s skill on the left flank, he was in and out of the team last season. The now-departed Florian Kamberi was occasionally deployed on the left of an attacking midfield trio in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Lewis Stevenson often got the nod in the 3-4-1-2 
set-up used towards the end of the curtailed campaign.

However, Horgan’s showing in pre-season, his 20-minute substitute appearance against Kilmarnock on the opening day and his impressive display in West Lothian could see him hold on to a spot in the starting line-up.

If anything, his presence further up the left wing could help bring out the best in youngster Josh Doig, who has started the first two matches of the season on the left of defence. Horgan could be seen talking the 18-year-old through the game at the Tony Macaroni Arena and the former Hearts youth turned in a strong showing.

“When you are a young player coming through, you don’t know everything,” added Horgan. “You know the game but maybe not the nuances of professional football.

“Josh is a brilliant kid, his attitude is spot-on, he’s been unbelievable the last couple of games and he takes on information like a sponge straight away and doesn’t make the same mistakes again.

“He’s got a right good chance, he’s a brilliant young player.”

The duo have worked together
in training but Horgan was eager to highlight the personal
effort Doig has been making since joining up with the first-team squad in pre-season.

“Full-backs and wingers always tend to get stuck beside each other now and again in training, but at the start of pre-season he came in in brilliant shape, he looks very, very sharp and he’s a good lad who is working really hard. He’s got a chance and he’s taking it.”

Speaking of young players taking their chances, Nisbet has had a positive start to life in the Premiership. While the striker had been prolific in League 1 and the Championship, there was a lot of pressure on him to hit the ground running in the top flight, especially after Hibs had spent money on the 24-year-old.

Horgan has been suitably impressed by the forward.

“It’s tough for a striker when you make that step up. You’re judged purely on goals; you could be brilliant for 90 minutes and hold the ball up, run the channels but if you don’t get the goal, and it goes on to the next week, and the next, it becomes a goal drought but thankfully he got his hat-trick, which is brilliant, and he can kick on again.

“His finishing is unbelievable, the rest of his play – his workrate, link-up – is brilliant too and potentially he and Christian Doidge could be a really good partnership up there.

“He works hard, he’s worked his socks off. Now he’s got the couple of goals that’s brilliant for him, it’s a weight off his shoulders.

“He’ll be raring to go again against Dundee United so we’ll see how it goes.”

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