Lee Johnson on emotional final Ron Gordon chat as Hibs boss targets lasting Easter Road 'legacy'

Three words and an image will always spring to mind when Lee Johnson remembers Ron Gordon.

It’s of the much-loved Hibs owner pointing both forefingers in the air and declaring: “I love it!” Johnson paid a heartfelt tribute to the American businessman at Hibs Training Centre yesterday just over a week after Gordon lost his battle with cancer. And he insists the loss, which is still reverberating heavily around the club, has given him added fuel to deliver silverware for the 68-year-old’s legacy.

He’d absolutely love that. Gordon wasn’t the typical foreign owner who kept a distance between himself and his club. Johnson revealed he was quite the opposite as he recalled late night zoom calls across the Atlantic which were scheduled for 30 minutes but would last two hours because his boss wanted to hear about the banter in the dressing room. He was almost one of the boys.

And that’s why Johnson and his players are desperate to deliver in his memory. Remembering his last chat with Gordon, just days before his death, the manager said: “It was typical Ron, he was full of support for the players.

“He was delighted with the recent performances, really happy with where we were in terms of the grit we had shown in games and the skill that had been on offer. He was really happy with the new signings, and I think he felt we were heading in the right direction.

"That’s always the key, that hope, that belief you are going the correct way. Ron’s love for the club was how he was on it every day from a distance. Obviously he has been away recently, as he articulated in his letter to the fans. But let me tell you, he has always been on it.

"I’ve done Zooms at 11pm, 12am, 1am to make sure we get things right. If you’re not bothered you