'Nothing I didn’t expect': Nick Montgomery assesses Hibs and Scottish football as fixtures come full circle

Easter Road boss says the improvements have been there for everyone to see since taking over

Not quite back to where it all began but having faced Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in his first game in charge, Nick Montgomery will welcome the Ayrshire side to Easter Road today looking to prove that advances have been made and lessons have been learned since that initial foray into Scottish football.

A look at results would suggest that not an awful lot has changed since that day, when Hibs threw away a two-goal lead late in the game to drop two points. It was the same on Wednesday when a stoppage-time goal denied them victory against St Mirren and draws do still dominate, but a deeper dive would indicate that performances have improved, while the style of play has become more palatable as players grow more accustomed to the demands and the game plan of the new regime.

But, in sport, wins are the real benchmark of success and while the players and staff at the capital club insist they are edging closer to delivering. There comes a point when they have to prove that. In his 10 games in charge Montgomery bounced back from that Killie result to post two wins but it has been a seven game winless run since, albeit consisting mainly of draws and only two defeats, to Rangers in the league and Aberdeen in last weekend’s Viaplay Cup semi-final.

Hibs manager Nick Montgomery and his assistant Sergio Raimundo oversee training ahead of Saturday's match against Kilmarnock.

“I haven’t learned anything I didn’t already know,” said Montgomery when asked what he has learned about his team and Scottish football since that September trip to Rugby Park. “That was the first game and I thought it was evident from the way we performed after just one week of training, and two days with some of the boys who had been on international duty that we were going to be a team that played with the ball.

“Going to Kilmarnock wasn’t easy; the surface isn’t easy and they’re a good, organised, strong, physical team but I learned a lot about the players that day, that they’re receptive and willing to adapt to a different playing style and they’ve continued to do that.

“I think we’ve been really unfortunate with some results – including that game where we conceded a late equaliser from a set-piece. But I know Scottish football; it’s direct, it’s physical, you have to be able to defend set-pieces and wide crosses and I’ve been really happy with the improvements we’ve made and now I want to continue to push forward and turn some of these draws into wins because that’s what we’re looking to do.”

Their inability to do that has frustrated the fans, who look at the teams sitting above them in the Premiership and are irked by the presence of St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Dundee. There is no doubt that draws have constrained Hibs but finding a way to win today would see them close the gap on at least one of those clubs.

Hibs celebrate the first goal of the Montgomery era - scored by Lewis Miller - at Rugby Park in September.

“It’s a competitive league and I’ve said it before: budgets don’t win you games of football, players on the pitch do,” continued Montgomery. “Some squads are really strong at the minute, others are going through a few injuries like we are, but it evens out over the season.

“It’s that old cliché – it’s a marathon not a sprint. It’s still early in the season, there are a lot of points to play for, and nothing surprises me in football. There are well-organised teams that can get results on any given day, the consistency is what’s always going to keep you up there at the end of the season but I don’t look at what it is now, you look at where you end up at the end of the season and that’s probably where you deserve to be over the course of it.”

Currently eighth, they trail Stephen Robinson’s third-placed St Mirren side, who have a game in hand, by seven points. But beneath the Buddies, in a heavily congested Premiership, just six points separates fourth and the 11th-placed play-off spot. And, with so little between the teams, it is the draws that are killing Hibs. The manager knows that but believes that they are close to converting those into victories.

“Every fan wants to win every game,” said Montgomery. “I want to win every game, the players want to win every game but unfortunately that’s not sport. Sometimes you’re unfortunate and games you should win you don’t, other times you don’t deserve to win but you do and that’s how sport goes.

Montgomery salutes the Hibs fans after the 2-2 draw in Ayrshire.

“The improvements have been there for everybody to see. I think in terms of the style of play, the way we’ve been playing every week, it’s a process where we continue to do what we’re doing. I’m more than confident that the results are going to come but nothing happens overnight.”

The buy-in from the players has, he says been obvious but with attacking options aplenty, he says it is now a case of minimising the moments of self-destruction by improving the decision making in key moments and seeing matches out. “They’ve given me everything,” he said. “Every week the effort is there, the way that we play is there. At times it’s just a bit of naivety and lacking a bit of experience to finish games off when we’re in winning positions and playing well.

“I knew it would be a good challenge and that’s why I came to the club. There’s also the challenge of changing the identity of the team and the club and I think we’ve made some big strides in that but it’s up and down, it’s not all smooth sailing and you do get tested when you have quite a lot of players out injured and have to find players who can adapt, and give debuts to players who have never played, and that’s something I think is a positive. But there’s nothing I didn’t expect.”