STEVEN WHITTAKER APPEARED TO BE SET for a major breakthrough as Hibs prepared for the new season in Finland, the young midfielder having ended the previous campaign on a high and looking set to make the step up as a regular with the first team squad.  The summer departures of the likes of Ulrik Laursen and Ulises de la Cruz must have led to Whittaker thinking his chances had increased, but a poor start to the season by Bobby Williamson's side saw Whittaker drop out of the first team picture, his last appearance coming in Hibs 4-1 defeat to Dunfermline at Easter Road being described as the worse display from a Hibs team in living memory.

It has been a long road back for Whittaker, but working away in the Under-21 side finally reaped a reward albeit under distressing circumstances.  The sight of Alen Orman suffering a second on-field fit of the season as the players were warming up forced Bobby Williamson to seek permission of his Motherwell opposite number to make a change to his side after the team sheets had been posted with referee Willie Young, that was agreed and just ten minutes before kick-off Whittaker, who had earlier been told he was the odd man out of the 17 squad members, suddenly found himself going straight into the side in the unfamiliar left wing-back slot.

Alen Orman - quick recovery (sns)

It was all a little rushed for Whittaker which perhaps was not bad thing as he had little time to think about the game itself, and in the event Motherwell rarely gave him or anyone else in the Hibs defence much to worry about.  It was a poor performance from the visitors, surprising perhaps given their league position as they appeared from the start to pretty much give up on any hope of winning the game.  With the last-minute turmoil in the Easter Road ranks, it was perhaps the perfect time for 'Well to take advantage but to be blunt they got what the deserved from what was never anything other than a poor game.  Whittaker though was happy enough with his own contribution and few will grumble either about the work put in by the other young-guns in the side, Derek Riordan and Scott Brown quickly making a name for themselves in the SPL.  Whittaker said: "I had gone to the pre-match lunch down at the Hotel and then came back, Bobby read out the team and I was the one left out of the 17.  So I just went up to the players lounge to see my mother and father then about five minutes later two of the young lads came in and told me that I was starting.  I only had about five minutes warm up on the park but no, I did not have a pie as Grant Brebner suggested - I did have half a can of coke though! 

"At the start I thought the lads were on the wind-up but I made sure they were not and were being serious!  I thought I might have been on the bench, but was delighted to go straight in.  I thought I did alright, but I was glad to just have been in the squad again because I was in at the start of the season then fell out of things.  I just wanted to be involved in things and was a little disappointed not to have been named in the original 16 for the game and there is a game on Monday so I hoped I might impress them in that one.  But I got on and had my chance on Saturday so that was just great."  Along with everyone at the club, Whittaker was delighted to learn that Alen Orman had, as is usual with his condition, recovered very quickly and indeed was sent home after treatment.  "It was disappointing to hear that Alen had taken one of his turns again, it was not the best of circumstances for me to get my chance," Whittaker said, adding:  "The last time I was involved with the first team squad was the Dunfermline game at Easter Road early in the season, I think it was about the fourth match that we lost 4-1.  It's good to see so many of our talented players coming through and hopefully they will all get their chance in time, I was glad to be in the first team squad although I admit that perhaps not being in the final 16 I might have preferred to have played for the Under-18 side who had a game earlier on Saturday.  Hopefully I've done enough in the game on Saturday to be in the manager's thoughts for the next game."

Three wins from three starts then for Hibs since the disappointment of not making the top six at the split, and while Hibs now have three points more than fifth placed Dunfermline Bobby Williamson was quick to halt any talk that Hibs were in some way better than the sides currently above Hibs with less points.  "They are playing in a different league from us now, because they earned that right and that is the way it is, we are where we are and playing supposedly weaker teams, that is the way the league works," the Hibs boss said.  It does perhaps disappoint Hibs fans all the more that players such as Riordan and Brown have come through after the split, but then again they may not have made such a solid entry in the first team had they been playing against the likes of Hearts, Rangers or Celtic rather than Dundee United, Aberdeen and Motherwell!  Hibs now face what is perhaps a more testing task when they travel to Livingston on Saturday in a game that is now completely meaningless with both clubs well clear of any relegation worries, that it is hoped might however lead to a more relaxed atmosphere and some entertaining football.

Hibs will take on Hearts tonight in the annual East of Scotland Shield match at Easter Road, contested by the Under-21 sides these days but with both sides promising to give a number of first-team players a run out.  Kick off is at 7.30 with entry set to £3 for adults and £1 for concessions, with season tickets NOT valid for this game.