Hibs two new gems leave the fun stuff to others as Kilmarnock win shows difference – John Greechan's tactical insight

They may not have the sort of flash and bang that makes for eye-catching highlight reels and ready-made headlines. But two cornerstones of the current Hibernian revival underlined their importance to Lee Johnson in Saturday’s comfortable 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

In the ultra-versatile CJ Egan-Riley and the magnificently-monikered Jimmy Jeggo, the Easter Road side have acquired a pair of players who do more than just let their more creative team-mates get on with the fun stuff. Deployed as a holding midfield pair in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Kilmarnock, each played a crucial role in creating space and maintaining a tempo that left the visitors looking unsettled, open and extremely vulnerable to a quick break.

Hibs still have problems when it comes to making the most of counter-attack overloads; on Saturday alone, they must have butchered three or four excellent chances to bury their opponents. But they carried enough threat, even without totemic Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet, to win the game with something to spare.

With Elie Youan leading the line fairly effectively, despite his tendency to overplay and overcomplicate simple situations, Hibs quickly exposed massive gaps on both wings, with Aiden McGeady – who limped off late in the first half, unfortunately – benefiting most from raking long passes.

The fact that central defenders Will Fish and Paul Hanlon were able to stride forward and play those passes under no pressure owed a great deal to the movement of both Jeggo and Egan-Riley, who drew Kilmarnock players to them, opening up space for more direct routes forward.

Often damned with faint praise as “sitting” midfielders, the guys who form the double pivot in any formation really need to be clever with their