Jake Doyle-Hayes is delighted to see his fellow midfielder Scott Allan impacting matches for Hibernian once more after spending a year on the periphery.
The 29-year-old’s career was in jeopardy when he was diagnosed with a serious heart problem last autumn, but he has gradually fought his way back into the fold.
Allan – who was on the brink of joining St Mirren on transfer deadline day – made his first domestic start for the Easter Road side since August 2020 when he set up a goal and scored one himself in Thursday’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final win at Dundee United.
It came on the back of an impressive second-half performance as a substitute in which Allan assisted Hibs’ first goal in their 2-2 draw with St Mirren.
Doyle-Hayes is relishing the prospect of playing more games alongside the resurgent former Dundee United and Celtic player.
He said: “Since he’s come back into the team he’s been unbelievable, with his assists and his goal. He’s a very good player, a quality player to have in your squad. We’re lucky to have him.”
Allan’s return to prominence has added to manager Jack Ross’s options in midfield. Doyle-Hayes, who joined in the summer from St Mirren, is excited by the calibre of the squad at Easter Road and believes Hibs should be aiming high this term.
He said: “We’ve got good players right through our squad, with quality players coming off the bench. It’s a really good team to play in.
“We’ve got the quality throughout the squad to be up the top of the table. We’ve had a good start but we need to keep building on it. Hibs had a good season last season and we need to keep pushing to get better.”
Hibs host a St Johnstone side this Sunday who have defeated them in each of their last four meetings, including in last season’s Scottish Cup final.
Doyle-Hayes is hoping the fact his team remain unbeaten domestically this term will help give them an edge against Callum Davidson’s side at Easter Road.
He said: “We aim to set a marker in every game we play. It’s going to be a hard game because they’re always a tough team to play. We’ve started off well in the league and hopefully we can build on that by taking another three points on Sunday.”
