Martin Boyle: My Hibs mate Ryan Porteous will be fine if he just concentrates on football

A dynamic duo, in the dressing room and in training they served up mischief and laughter, while on the pitch they were two of Hibs most influential players.

Martin Boyle broke up the band when he joined Al Faisaly in January but despite the fact that Harmah City is over 4,000 miles from Edinburgh, he has continued to look out for his former cohort Ryan Porteous and reached out last week as the young centre-back became embroiled in negative headlines due to some downtime drama.

“Some days I miss Porto and some days I don’t,” he said, tongue in cheek. “I would say he is missing me more than I’m missing him. He is always FaceTiming me and seems a bit sad.

“There has been a lot of talk about him and I messaged him to make sure he is OK. I think the important message to him is to just keep his head down, keep working hard and keep showing what a good player he is, and try to put this nonsense behind him.

“I’m sure the big man will be fine if he just concentrates on his football.”

Porteous was charged in connection with an alleged assault outside a Dalkeith bar last month and, in a separate incident, was allegedly caught on camera with a group who stole a memorial wreath from a Midlothian garden. Pointing out that the defender is still a young man, Boyle has backed his former team-mate to navigate his way through the controversy.

“Ryan is a strong guy, he has a strong character and he is a true leader so he will take it on the chin.

“He has already had the captain’s armband this season, which gave him more responsibility and was good for him because he is a lifelong Hibs fan and I’m sure that when this all blows over, he will come out the other side stronger and more focused and I'm sure he will flourish.

“Hopefully, he will