Martin Boyle hopes Hibs injury hell ends in Europe with patience test proving tricky on recovery road

Martin Boyle insists he’s raring to go on Hibs Euro adventure and finally end the injury agony that brought his world crashing down last year.

The Easter Road speed merchant hasn’t kicked a competitive ball since a knee injury picked up against St Mirren last October put the brakes on his season in the cruellest of fashions. What was thought to be a meniscus tear was discovered to be a ruptured cruciate ligament just days before the World Cup was due to start and with Boyle in position in Qatar dreaming of lighting up football’s greatest show on earth.

A complete knee reconstruction followed which meant the Hibs’ faithful were deprived of seeing their star man for the remainder of the season as Lee Johnson’s side rode a rollercoaster of form before finally clinching the final Euro slot. That secured a return to competitive action next Thursday in Leith in the Conference League second qualifying round. And Boyle is desperate to be involved.

The 30-year-old could get his first taste of action since the injury when Groningen visit Easter Road in a friendly this evening. And the winger said: “The knee feels good. It’s just about building it up. But in terms of fitness tests and stuff like that I’m ready to compete. I’ve been training full time since before Marbella.

“The European game? It’s not up to me but I’ve been training and I feel good. It’s important for me to get minutes under my belt before that but like I say if it’s building up minutes into those games then I would like to think I’d be ready if called upon.

“I was getting told ‘you need to be patient with it’ and I was thinking the body feels good, the knee feels good .. but then you still have to remain patient. It’s difficult. I want minutes under my belt but