The £600k Hibs boost that hasn't cost them a penny as bluntness banished by big hitters return – Tam McManus

Kieron Bowie was a big-money purchase by Hibs at the start of the season. They might not have spent anything yet in this month’s window, but that’s a £600,000 boost that hasn’t cost a mid-season penny.

And, with Martin Boyle back and firing at his best levels, Hibs have gone from being blunt to having two big-hitters spearheading their attack. Bowie has got all the tools. It must have been a massive frustration to manager David Gray that he ended up sidelined for such a lengthy period having made such a sharp start to his career at Easter Road.

It was seen as a strong signing at the time when he was signed from Fulham. There had been glowing reports from his work with Scotland’s Under-21 side and there was enough evidence in his opening four games to suggest Hibs had found a right good one. Then, typical of the way things were going in the opening weeks of the campaign for Gray and his squad, Bowie was slammed on to the sidelines with a serious hamstring issue.

The timing could not have been any worse and, with Boyle not at his best, it was hard to see where goals were coming from. No harm intended to Mykola Kuharevich, but he was not the answer and, although Nicky Cadden was doing a fair job chipping in to help, Hibs needed more.

No question, there was a spell through October and November where you simply couldn’t see in some games where one was coming from. With the defence giving goals away for fun, it was a recipe for disaster and so it proved.

That’s the thing about defending. If the boys up top aren’t getting goals, it puts pressure on the backline to keep it tight. When you know the lads are going to score, I’m sure it makes the stoppers a little more at ease in their work.

From having limited options, Hibs could