Inside Hibs' tricky preparations: Goalkeeper quandary, Martin Boyle not assured start, managing Joe Newell

On the night that Hibs welcomed Martin Boyle back from long-term injury, they were dealt a blow as the two goalkeepers manager Lee Johnson had been relying on to keep each other on their toes and keep the opposition out were sidelined within just half an hour.

Max Boruc made his Hibs debut in Thursday's European victory over Inter Club d'Escaldes.

Both David Marshall and Jojo Wollacott have undergone scans in the aftermath of beating Inter Club d’Escaldes 6-1 and while there is hope that Marshall could be back sooner, depending on the findings, summer signing Wollacott “is going to be a write-off for a period of time”. “There’s no question about that,” said his boss. “But with Marshall it could be neural or muscular and if it’s neural there’s a much better chance of him being available for Sunday. We’ll find out when the specialist looks at it. It’s a big 24 hours.”

At a time when the Leith gaffer is already spinning plates, studying footage of Thursday’s Europa Conference League third qualifying round opponents, FC Luzern at 4am so as not to encroach on the limited time set aside to prepare his men for this weekend’s Premiership opener against St Mirren, Johnson has also been absorbing information on possible back-up options. Considering emergency loans, longer term loans or permanent deals, he has also had highly-regarded development squad keeper Murray Johnson temporarily recalled, initially on a week by week basis, from his season-long loan to Queen of the South.

Declaring himself “comfortable” if he has to rely on 20-year-old Max Boruc again, he does not want to be without extra possibilities with so many important games looming in the league, Europe, and the Viaplay Cup this month. “We need three goalkeepers to be competitive on all fronts,” said Johnson. “[Max] will have loved his time here so far. He’ll have felt backed. We had him in for a bit on trial last season and he’s a great kid, he really wants to learn, he’s curious. I can’t see anything but solid progression in his career and game because of his mentality. He is really focused on becoming a top goalkeeper.

Martin Boyle is not assured a start after only just recovering from a knee injury.

“The question with any young goalkeeper is the box management, that’s what they need. That’s why we sent Murray out because we want him to get 30-40 games. It’s not the shot stopping, it’s not the technical element so much, it’s the taking the wrong step, right step, dealing with the physicality, the crowd behind, all those factors. Most are technically good and [Max] certainly is that, he can keep goal, there’s no question. It’s whether the box management is successful.”

Team stalwart Lewis Stevenson had a quiet word with the young keeper as he entered the fray on Thursday and was impressed with how he played. “I can’t imagine the adrenaline that was running through his body,” said left-back. “I just told him to be calm and play his normal game and it would be fine. It seemed to work. But, for a goalie at 20-years-old – that’s really young – he put in a really mature performance. He never expected to get on the bench, never mind play.

“It must have been mental, especially in that position, to get chucked in. I’ve been the 19th man in the squad before and you get chucked on the bench and even getting on for 10 minutes in that situation can be difficult. I can’t imagine how Max felt but he coped really well, made some good saves, had good distribution and it was probably the perfect performance.”

Settling on who starts in goal on Sunday is just one quandary for Johnson, who is determined to build on Thursday night’s positivity and guide his men through a season where they improve on last season’s fifth-placed finish, and piece together notable cup runs. Insisting he has not yet verbalised targets with his players, on the eve of a new season, he does feel that he has pulled together a squad capable of pushing for more - provided he can manage the necessary squad rotation and protect his most prized assets. “We are going to have to rotate, there is no question about that,” continued Johnson. “There’s too many factors. I could name Martin Boyle as an example and I know it will be unpopular at times if the teamlist goes up and Martin is not starting but that will be for the greater good and our season as a whole.”

Hibs manager Lee Johnson has plenty to ponder.

Having built a squad with strength in depth, he is juggling how best to rotate players without losing the balance of his side, aware that with little between a number of teams, finding a way to avoid injuries could be the difference come the end of the campaign. “That’s why we still need to be competitive and we really need everybody fit. Look at Joe Newell and his minutes, he is another example. When it comes to Sunday, what do I do? I thought he was outstanding in the two [European] games but he has had a couple of things. He has a bit of a glute strain. You can play through it because it is such a big muscle and it is a very light strain but that is another factor in the mind's eye.

“These are the things, when managers pick teams, that others don’t necessarily know about. I could name you 20 things we have already discussed this morning about individual players and chronic loads, injuries like tendinitis that flare up, and a load of other factors. So, this will be a really, really difficult team selection for me as I try to get the balance right.”

But, with every move scrutinised as he tries to manage game time of players in the hope of avoiding long lay-offs, it is a tricky task. “You are damned if you do, damned if you don’t, at times. But you just have to use all the information, take on board opinions, but then make the decision. That’s why [managers] are all lunatics!”