Hibs v St Johnstone smashes two records in one game - but will we see more of Rory Whittaker and Fran Franczak

It is rare enough for a match to provide one youngest-ever player making his debut for a club, so for it to happen twice is quite something.

St Johnstone's Fran Franczak came on with 15 minutes to go against Hibs.

All the fanfare has been around Hibs’ teenage right-sided player in Rory Whittaker – no relation for former Easter Road hit Steven – making his debut in Saturday’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone. He came on in the 70th minute to eclipse Jamie McCluskey as Hibs’ youngest player at the very tender age of 16 years and 44 days old. But Saints also made a little bit of history when manager Steven MacLean introduced midfielder Fran Franczak for Cammy MacPherson five minutes later. At 16 years and 38 days old, Franczak became St Johnstone’s youngest ever player, taking over from Vic Robertson, re-writing history that has stood since September 1976.

There is a lot of excitement in Perth surrounding Franczak and it will be fascinating to see if MacLean continues to expose him to first-team football. St Johnstone currently sit at the bottom of the Premiership, winless after six matches. A club that has flirted too heavily with relegation for its fanbase’s liking the past two seasons, there are already fears that it could be a long campaign for Saints. Leaning too heavily on a youngster in that environment can be damaging for a player’s development, but it could be different in Franczak’s case. There was interest in him earlier this year before he signed his first professional deal with Saints and unlike some of his youth team contemporaries, he has not been loaned out to lower-league teams.

“It is now about trying to pick the right moment to put him in,” MacLean said earlier this week to The Courier. “He is staying – 100 per cent. I like him a lot and he’s a bundle of energy. He needs to keep progressing but he is doing really well. He will be a central midfielder but he can play off a side and in behind. He has so much enthusiasm and energy, but quality too. Fran has been brilliant. If you train well and play well, why not? He has proven that he is more than good enough.”

Rory Whittaker made his Hibs debut and Nick Montgomery has promised to give youth its chance under his tenure.

Whittaker saw more of the ball in his debut for Hibs and came oh-so-close to scoring a memorable debut goal, his low effort saved well by Dimitar Mitov. Manager Nick Montgomery spoke of his delight at giving a local lad his debut and given that the Easter Road hierarchy have made no secret of its desire to see more academy players given its chance, it is not unreasonable to envisage Whittaker getting more senior game-time.

“He’s a local boy, he’s been in the academy a long time and there is no better feeling than giving a young lad like him his debut,” said Montgomery of Whittaker. “But more than that he deserved it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have got it, and I thought he took his opportunity with both hands. I thought he worked his socks off and I am really proud of him.”

Hibs have a rich history of developing players – you only have to go back to Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Steven Fletcher and that generation, and more recently Josh Doig. They are a club, like city rivals Hearts, who should be regularly leaning on home-grown talent. And in new boss Montgomery, they have someone who has a track record of doing so – successfully – at Central Coast Mariners. It, and Whittaker’s debut, will give hope to starlets within the East Mains training base that there is a path to the first team.