Hibs players left impressed by early work under new manager Nick Montgomery

Nick Montgomery will make his bow in front of the Easter Road faithful for the first time on Saturday and defender Will Fish is excited to see where the new Hibs manager can take the club after being impressed how he has gone about his business so far.

The 41-year-old was appointed as Lee Johnson’s successor earlier this month and oversaw a 2-2 draw in his first match in charge away to Kilmarnock last weekend. Montgomery’s arrival in Edinburgh was widely acclaimed by supporters after his recent title-winning exploits with Australian side Central Coast Mariners, and the Hibs players have enjoyed their early days under his charge. They take on St Johnstone ahead of three home fixtures in seven games in a period that will shape the fledgling stages of Montgomery’s tenure.

“Training’s been a lot more intense, in terms of the training load, we’re doing more,” said on-loan Manchester United defender Fish. “Everything we’re doing in training is leading up to the game at the weekend. I’ve been really impressed. A lot of tactical work has been done which is understandable because he’s got his own style of play. I think it’s really positive. The changing room is excited to see where he can take us. The ideas are there and it’s down to us to put it out on the pitch.”

Fish expects Hibs to become a more expansive team under Montgomery. “He just wants everyone to be comfortable on the pitch,” said the centre-back. “He likes to play more football than we did previously, which is good. I’m excited for that. I’m really positive about it.”

Will Fish and the Hibs players prepare for Saturday's match against St Johnstone.

One of Montgomery’s main tasks will be to shore up the leakiest defence in the league, with the Hibees having conceded ten goals in their five league matches so far. “This year we’ve conceded too many soft goals at important times in games so it is something we’re working on,” said Fish. “We are going to get better at that. As defenders, we need to make sure we can help the team as much as possible.”

The Perth side head to Easter Road looking to climb off the bottom of the cinch Premiership after collecting just two points from their five matches, but Fish is not taking the Saints lightly. “No game in this league is easy,” he added. “St Johnstone are probably more of a direct team so we’ll have to deal with balls over the top and strikers hunting you down. They’ll be solid and well-organised so we’re not taking them lightly.”