THERE are still another 15 games to be played in the Ladbrokes Championship this season and another 45 points remain there for the taking.
So the six-point lead that Hibernian now hold over Dundee United at the head of the second-tier table – courtesy of their narrow 1-0 win over part-time Dumbarton at the Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium on Saturday – is far from commanding.
United, held to a 3-3 draw by Queen of the South at Tannadice at the weekend, are going through a difficult patch at the moment, but they have proved on more than one occasion this term they are more than capable of challenging their capital rivals.
Ray McKinnon’s side only surrendered top spot in the second-tier table little over a fortnight ago. They have the necessary quality and desire within their ranks to recover from their current blip in form and push Neil Lennon’s team all the way.
But the momentum is certainly firmly behind Hibs following three straight league victories, including two over Falkirk away and United at home, as they bid to end their three-year exile from the top flight.
If Kris Commons can persuade Celtic to let him stay to the end of the 2016-17 campaign, it could prove decisive. And, given his lack of involvement in the first team at Parkhead this season, there would appear to be no reason – other than another club coming in for him – why he wouldn’t be able to.
Commons, whose emergency loan deal has now ended, has weighed in with two winning goals during his four weeks in the capital.
He netted a late effort in the 2-1 triumph over Falkirk last month and scored once again against Dumbarton at the weekend.
His all-round play, though, has also been outstanding. He hasn’t been on a losing side since moving.
Jason Cummings, the joint top scorer in the division with 12 goals to his name, gushed effusively about his abilities as well as the influence he exerts on those around him after scoring a double in the 3-0 win over United earlier this month.
“It is a joy to play with him,” said the Hibs striker. “He sees things that not many other players see. I am learning a lot from him. Everyone can see with his technique that he is way above the level that he is playing at just now.”
However, having played in England with Stoke City, Nottingham Forest and Derby County, won every major honour in this country with Celtic as well as played in the Champions League and represented Scotland internationally, it is the 33-year-old’s experience that will benefit Hibs most.
The inevitable nerves of the title run-in may take their toll on a few of the younger members of Lennon’s squad, despite their experiences in both the League Cup and Scottish Cup last season. Commons will take it all in his stride.
John McGinn returning from injury is massive for Hibs. The signing of winger Chris Humphrey should also prove important to a team which often lacked width in the first half of the season. But securing the services of a seasoned campaigner like Commons would be key.
If Hibs – who take a break from league action this weekend along with the rest of the major clubs in the country to launch their defence
of the William Hill Scottish Cup
with a fourth-round tie against
local junior opponents Bonnyrigg
Rose away – do get back up, it
should be welcomed by everyone
with the best interests of Scottish football at heart.
They have, on the back of their historic cup success last season, sold
in excess of 10,000 season tickets and regularly attract the largest crowds in the country as a result. Only Celtic, Rangers and Hearts, who are playing against a better st andard of opposition in the league above them, have higher average attendances.
The atmosphere generated by a crowd of 18,786 during their Friday night match against Dundee United earlier this month was equal to anything produced at Celtic Park, Ibrox, Tynecastle or Pittodrie in recent weeks.
Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has long bemoaned the damage that satellite broadcasters screening live games in front of half-empty stadiums does to our national game. And he has long had a very good point.
What self-respecting sponsor would possibly want to be associated with such sorry spectacles?
What image do they project of the sport here to the wider world?
How can clubs and governing bodies attract fresh investment if so few people are filing through the turnstiles?
Strachan will not be alone in applauding Hibs, the team that he supported while growing up in Muirhouse in Edinburgh, into the Ladbrokes Premiership if they do succeed in going back up at the third time of asking.
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