Why Hibs lifeline was crucial for Mikey Devlin - even if it lacked perfect ending

Former Hibs defender Mikey Devlin has spoken about his time at Easter Road and paid tribute to the players and staff for handing him a lifeline when he most needed it, following a rotten run of luck with injury.

The 29-year-old signed a short-term deal in February, providing much-needed defensive cover for Lee Johnson after injury to Rocky Bushiri but also getting a chance to try to win a longer-term deal with the Capital club.

Devlin’s one and only appearance for Hibs came in the final game of the season in the 1-1 draw with Hearts at Tynecastle, when he was thrown up top as an auxiliary centre-forward as Hibs chased a goal that would see them leapfrog their rivals into fourth and enter the Europa Conference League in the third qualifying round instead of the second.

Appearing on the BBC's Scottish football podcast, Devlin stated that he felt he was in a good place ‘physically, after a difficult couple of years’, adding: “The challenges mentally that the injuries bring are the constant questions that everything you’ve done since you’re a kid, to be where you are, is it worth it any more? It’s probably the toughest challenge I’ve faced in my life. When you’re coming back from another injury or another operation, over the last couple of years in particular, you have to consciously think about your mental health and your happiness.

"I got a bit tired with the disappointment that was coming with each injury and each setback. The worst part of it was the hope. It really hit harder with the disappointment because for all you have the optimism and motivation when you first pick up an injury and start going through the rehab, it then hits you like a tonne of bricks then you have a setback.”

Devlin has already spoken candidly about the toll his injuries took on his mental health on Back Onside’s Changing Room Chat podcast, but admitted his setbacks had impacted his family as well.

"In your darkest hours they’re the people who drag you out of the hole you’re in. Over the last couple of years I’ve had that,” he said. “Now we’re finally at a point where we can finally be excited and look forward, I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to play football."

Speaking last month Johnson said of Devlin, ‘as a human being he’s added great value’ and although he didn’t get the offer of a longer deal at Hibs, he did land a one-year deal with Livingston with the potential for extending it.

Paying tribute to the Easter Road side he added: "I’m thankful and grateful that I’ve had a clear run at it for the last three to four months. Having the confidence and backing of the manager; that he believed I was a good player and it was just a case of gaining that fitness and sharpness again, that was extra motivation for me, as well as being at a brilliant club like Hibs. I loved every minute of every day being in there; it’s a fantastic club with a fantastic support and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, albeit it didn’t end the way I’d hoped.”