'I’ve really enjoyed being back in the team' - Steven Whittaker's reflection on past few months at Hibs

Even though he was fit and ready to play, three full months and 16 matches elapsed without Steven Whittaker kicking a single competitive ball for Hibs in the closing stages of 2019.

Between appearing as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at home to Celtic in late September and starting the Scottish Cup fourth-round tie away to Dundee United last month, the 35-year-old was idle - either sitting on the bench as an unused substitute or sitting in the stand watching the match in a something of a coaching capacity, offering tactical feedback to management from his higher vantage point.

When even a managerial change at the start of November wasn’t enough to bring him back in from the fringes, it seemed Whittaker - with his contract due to expire at the end of this season - might very well have kicked his last ball for Hibs.

Since the winter break, however, he has enjoyed a mini-resurgence in which he has started four of Hibs’ last seven games, including each of their last two against Rangers and BSC Glasgow. Crucially, his performances - predominantly from central midfield - have been to an impressive level for a man who had been written off by some supporters not so long ago.

“I’ve really enjoyed being back in the team,” he said. “We had the winter break where I worked hard, then we had a couple of friendlies in which I did well in, and I got the opportunity to play. When you’re in there you have to try your best and perform. I have obviously been all right and managed to play a few more games so I’m delighted with that.”

Prior to being named as a surprise starter for the cup tie at Tannadice, the closest Whittaker had got to game time under Jack Ross was being listed as a substitute for two of the current manager’s first nine games in charge. Although he had been on the periphery in the closing months of Paul Heckingbottom’s reign, Whittaker was given enough encouragement by Ross that he would get another chance in the team and wouldn’t be edged out into the coaching side of things for the remainder of his Hibs contract. “When the manager came in, he fully made me aware that he saw me as a player and wanted me to push to get into the team,” the veteran explained. “It wasn’t as though I was watching, thinking: ‘I’m not going to play’. I still had that belief that given the opportunity I could go on and do the job, and I’ve managed to do that.”

Whittaker spent the majority of his career as a full-back and has played at centre-back on occasions (including the second half of Sunday’s game against BSC), but he feels he is now best suited to playing as a deep-lying central midfielder, where his natural loss of pace isn’t exposed but he can still influence games with his quality on the ball. Indeed, Whittaker’s impact since returning to the side was perhaps best highlighted by the high praise he received from his midfield partner Joe Newell following his excellent performance in the 4-2 cup replay victory over Dundee United at Easter Road. “To be honest, the best part of tonight was playing next to Steven Whittaker,” Newell said after that match a fortnight ago. “I can’t speak highly enough of him. To share the pitch and play centre-mid next to him was an honour.”

Reflecting on his change of position in the latter years of his career, Whittaker said: “I think I played right-back at the start of the season when the previous manager was in charge but that was mainly through injuries to Dave Gray and Tom James. I don’t really see myself as a right-back at the stage of my career I’m at, I really need to play a more central role these days.

“I got the chance to play at centre back against Celtic when I came on and did okay and then I’ve played centre mid now. I think that’s where I need to play going forward, you get a little bit more protection in the central areas of the park.

“You’re not as powerful or as quick off the mark as what you were ten years ago. It’s having the ability to read the game from the central areas, you can be a little bit quicker in the mind rather than the body. I feel like I’ve done that okay.

“You get a little bit more of the ball in midfield although it’s a little bit more of a battle and you’re constantly on the move. We do high distances in there but not so much high speed running which you would do in the wider areas. That suits me in the stage I’m at of my career. Hopefully I can continue doing what I’m doing at the minute.”