Lewis Stevenson still seeing off all-comers after 18 seasons at Hibs ahead of latest battle for left-back berth

It was no surprise to see Lewis Stevenson presented with a special recognition award at the end of last term after he became the club’s record league appearance holder.

And, even less of a surprise to see Marijan Cabraja move on in the summer.

The latest in a long, long list of players who arrived in Leith with a view to pinching the club legend’s place in the starting line-up, the Croat came, he tried, but ultimately became the latest all-comer to discover that the Fifer’s nice guy persona does not stretch to simply stepping aside.

It is undoubtedly in the 35-year-old’s nature to help any new arrival in a bid to help the club but the competitor that roars loudly within still desperately wants to play first team football for Hibs.

Lewis Stevenson is about to begin his 19th season with Hibs

He has previously admitted that pre-season becomes tougher each year but the hunger to prolong his spell representing the Leith club he debuted for way back in 2005, has not dissipated.

Those who work with him on a daily basis know that better than most, which is why manager Lee Johnson referred to his “consistency of character” and “consistency of performance” in the tribute video shown at the awards dinner and added “long may that continue”. In cricket parlance he also referred to his record appearance haul and added “not out”.

So, as Cabraja is lured home, it is with interest that the arrival of Jordan Obita is greeted, as the former Wycombe Wanderers defender signs up, seeking that berth of the far left of the backline. One has to wonder if anyone has warned him that he will have to fend off Stevenson, though.

A player who has dipped below 30 appearances in a season just five times in the 17 seasons since that debut term and only one of those was in the most recent 12 seasons.

That was after Pat Fenlon switched him from his more regular midfield slot to cover at left-back and that versatility and willingness to fill any void necessary paid off.

But that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been challenges and challengers.

Something that has earned the respect of managers, many of whom initially underestimated the quiet professional, whose worth has often become more obvious when he is missing from the team.

“Lewis has stood the test of time and, when he has had some amount of managers and has had to deal with the opinions those managers have as well, for him still to be here tells you something about him as a player,” said former boss Alan Stubbs during his two-year tenure.

“They have all seen something in him and I can understand why. If you could, you would probably have 11 of him because he is also a brilliant pro.”

In a career that has seen Stevenson win over more than a dozen permanent managers and a handful of temporary custodians, it was under Stubbs that Stevenson won his second cup, making him the only player in the club’s history to have won both the League Cup and the Scottish Cup with the Easter Road outfit. It was also under Stubbs that he was utilised most frequently, with 44 appearances in 2014/15 and 53 in that memorable 2015/16 season.

The numbers have dipped slightly since then but it has not been a terminal decline.

Neil Lennon, Paul Heckingbottom, Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney and now Johnson have all come to recognise his worth to the team and benefit from his experience and drive to make Hibs better on and off the pitch.

While Ross only gave him 28 appearances, as young Josh Doig broke through, the always self-deprecating Stevenson shook off any thoughts of self-preservation to offer advice and assistance to the young pretender. He also kept his head down and kept working hard and when Doig needed a rest or when he eventually moved on to chase his Serie A ambitions, the loyal servant was there, ready and willing, as always, to step in.

It has always been the way as Stevenson’s persistence, work ethic and lack of ego makes him the kind of player manager’s love and rivals struggle to shake off.

Since the departure of the widely-lauded David Murphy, there has not been a left-back other than Stevenson capable of holding the position down on a long-term permanent basis.

From Pa Kujabi, Ryan McGivern, Callum Booth, Adam Eckersley, Faycal Rherras, Miquel Nelom, Cabraja and Demi Mitchell, they may have enjoyed a fleeting period as favourite before standards dipped and Stevenson jumped at his chance to reassert himself. But, now it is Obita’s turn to try. And, eventually someone will succeed.

With a lull in anticipated in signing activity as the Leith side get their ducks in a row and wait patiently for their interest in specific targets to reap fruit, they were quick to address the left-back area.

On yet another one-year deal, though, Stevenson will be out to prove himself and while some managers and, astonishingly some fans, still under-rate him (it is so often the case when homegrown players stick around long enough to be viewed as part of the fixtures and fittings), he has proved he has a durability and an enthusiasm for the game and the club that shows now signs of dimming.

In Obita he will have to vie with a player who also has experience and is seen as a threat at set pieces, hailed by Johnson as someone who can add an extra dimension, but, perhaps crucially, also has six years on Hibs’ very own Duracell bunny.

Stevenson will undoubtedly be one of the first to welcome him, and, as has been the case in the past, he will magnanimously also pass on some of his vast experience of Scottish football and opponents but Obita should not consider that a sign that Stevenson is about to quietly bow out. To be honest, no-one should.